Things Aren't Always What They Seem (Who is the Real Enemy?)
by Dyassie
Summary: Her trip to the Underground did not go unnoticed. Now Jareth has to protect her. But will she let him? Or will she be her own worst enemy? Note: The title was Who is the Real Enemy? but it was changed to better suite where the plot ended up going.
1. Chapter 1

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own no rights to the Labyrinth characters.

This story begins right at the end of the movie and will start five chapters with Sarah as a teenager but will eventually age her to her very early thirties and include a teenage Toby. Hoggle will play a significance role off and on at different times.

"You have no power over me!"

Despair fell like a shadow over him. She had to go back. He had no choice. She had bested him.

He had given her his heart, but she had refused it. Selfish Girl! Did she not know what all he had done for her? She did not care that she had just ripped out his heart.

He could no longer look upon her as he was. His cape flew around him; his extremities shortened fanning out to become wings to take flight.

He took her back, back to that damn life she had wanted to escape. She had dreamed of him, wished for him, but when he went to her, she scorned him. She wanted nothing to do with him but could not leave her, not yet anyway. He loved her too much. He remained perched outside her window watching her and the others until he could stand it no more.

Taking flight, the moonlight glittered off his white feathers as he flew off to be alone. Alone. Always alone. Was he forever destined to be alone?

The heels of his shiny white boots sounded against the cobblestone path. He strolled along not caring hearing only the impatient thud of his boots. The fog immersed him within its depths, camouflaged in his white attire. It comforted him, to be hidden within the thick mist, the Mist of the Shadowy Plains.

The long-stretching plains, always overlaid with low-hanging clouds, provided many depressed souls with its mind-numbing emptiness. Its vastness went on with nothing but the ground beneath one's feet, the fog so heavy one could barely see the foot in front of them.

He walked on lost in his own misery. He had her and had lost her. It was not fair!

Silently, he laughed at himself, sounding so much like her. It was not fair, but what was fair, to have kept the child even after she had begged for him back, to have tried to do everything in his power to keep her with him just because he wanted her. But she had wished away the child and he had tried to show her how much he cared about her.

His mind went back to their dance. The way she came into his arms and look up at him with an amazed curiosity. It was if they had been drawn together. What a special moment in time it had been for him dancing together with her. That is until she ran away from him. What he would give for just one more dance with her. He would have gladly sent the boy back.

The boy. He could not have ever imagined how fond he would have grown of the little chap when the goblins stupidly took him just because his sister had wished it. But he was the one who had wanted to make sure all her wishes came true and had set the goblins to watch her when he could not. He should have known better.

And then he could not have given up that chance to interact with her for once, a chance he would surely never receive again.

He kicked a rock in frustration. It tumbled ahead in the blankness beyond.

"My, my, I wonder what is ailing you today."

Jareth's mismatched eyes narrowed hatefully as the person associated with the voice slinked out of the nothingness. The fog parted to reveal the sultry, raven-hair vixen whose wavy locks fell around her narrow face set with eyes so dark they were almost black.

"What do you want Cassandra?"

"Oh nothing Jareth, nothing at all."

"Then be gone with you." His tone was over-poweringly full of disgust. He knew better. Cassandra was never up to nothing. And she never ventured beyond her own fortress of power unless she wanted to cause trouble, particularly for him.

Tapping her red nails into the palm of her hand, "Really Jareth, you needn't be so testy."

Lunging at her, he snatched her wrist wrenching it back in a grip so tight it was sure to pain her. "Out with it!"

Her laughter sounded in his face. "My, my, that little girl really must have gotten to you Jareth."

He snorted dropping her wrist. "Is that what you think?" He waved her away turning his back on her. "The girl is nothing. The goblins for some stupid reason decided to take her brother. She got him back and now she is gone and I am done with her." A smile hinted on his face. "But I will admit it was fun to play with her for awhile, an amusing distraction to a rather tedious day."

"Really? Is that all it was? And why did the goblins take the boy? They have never done that before." Jareth hated Cassandra's continued badgering of questions in her falsely innocent tone. She knew what had really occurred all too well or she would never even be here.

He just wanted her to disappear and leave him alone.

His cape flung around as his glare settled upon her. "Who can explain their behavior? And if there was really more to it, do you think I would actually let her get away from me? Allow her to best me and regain possession of the babe?"

The corner of her red lips pulled upward as those dark eyes taunted him. "No, but then again yes. Maybe you failed and allow her to succeed for the very reason that you have fallen under her spell."

He humphed at her.

"You knew if you kept her here she would hate you more than she already did for taking her brother."

Closing the gap between them she trailed the red tips of her fingernails over his arm smiling charmingly at him. "But I could help you with that. I could bring her back for you."

He peered down at her fingers before staring pointedly at her. Her fingers fell away from his arm. "Leave the girl be. I have no want of her. She is just a child. And be gone with you. I require no company."

"Whatever you say Jareth." Cassandra bowed her head slightly before heading off from whence she had come.

"And Cassandra," Jareth halted her departure.

She looked over her shoulder at him. "Yes?"

Jareth gave her a fiendish smirk showing his teeth. "Have a good day." He wanted to threaten her about messing with Sarah, but held back. It would only strengthen her belief and provoke her.

"Um, yes, and you too." And Cassandra was gone.

Jareth's brief amusement at her nervousness faded as he marched onward. For now, he was actually relieved that Sarah was gone. But that would not stop Cassandra if she suspected how deep his feelings for Sarah ran. Maybe his nonchalance towards her accusation of it would be enough to throw her off, but he could not take that chance. He could handle Cassandra if she actually did become a problem for him, but for now his concern would have to be Sarah.


	2. Chapter 2

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Chapter 2

He waited there for him to come. He could not be the one to watch over Sarah. That was certain. Besides for his own hurt, he had to be wise in his actions. Cassandra would be watching. He had to keep Sarah safe. He had to.

The tiny green door to the small kitchen opened.

The little being in the doorway stood motionlessly, terrified before the king's presence. At last the miniature creature defiantly acknowledged Jareth's presence, "Go ahead and do what you will with me. It matters not. I helped my friend."

Jareth waited as the dwarf shut the door. Not paying the king any mind, he went to his chair flopping down.

He crossed his arms. "And you will help her again Hoggle."

"What?" The dwarf stared up in wide-eyed surprised.

"You heard me," he said with low rumple in his throat.

"I did, but…"

"Do not waste time with mindless-drivel." He let his arms fall to his sides as he walked towards the creature leaning down with his hand on the chair. "Sarah is your friend, correct?"

"Yes." Hoggle nodded dumbly.

"And you would do anything to help her?" Jareth's voice was not questioning as he pierced his commanding gaze into the dwarf.

"Yes."

"Well then, you will follow her around and report any mysterious beings or occurrences back to me. Understand?"

Hoggle pounced to his feet. "I will not!"

Jareth brought a crystal ball up in his hand aimed at the miserable little being highly irritated by his new found courage. "Yes you will."

"No, I will not!" Hoggle stood firm where he was. "You can throw me into the Bog of Eternal Stench first!"

"Do not tempt me dwarf!" Jareth took a deep breath. This was getting them nowhere. The crystal disappeared from his hand. He had to make Hoggle understand and believe the severity of why he needed to watch Sarah.

"You will for her own protection. Her presence here did not go unnoticed." Jareth looked Hoggle dead in the eye. "Another is threatening her and you will notify me if she or one of her minions tries to come in contact with Sarah."

Fear glinted in Hoggle's eye, but not for himself. He feared for Sarah. "Of course."

Jareth had realized that Hoggle would do anything for Sarah. He hated the dwarf for it.

"Do not be seen…especially by the girl. And Hogpin, if you ever cross me again, you will not have to worry about the swamp. Courage does not become you."

Jareth turned into an owl leaving through the window the way he had come in.

He hated that creature. Why had Sarah taking such a liking to him?

After arriving home, Sarah's life continued pretty much as it had before except now she no longer took her little brother for granted and attempted to be more accepting of her stepmother, which was not always easy. And instead of running carelessly around the park acting out her part in the Labyrinth, which she could still scarcely believe had come to life, she took her brother there. All in all, Sarah began to mature in her ways having gone through her unexpected experience.

Weeks passed since she had been to the Underground. In that time, she no longer heard or could make contact with her friends. She could not understand what had happened. Why she could no longer call upon them like she had that first night? Had she dreamt it all? It seemed too real to have been so.

Walking to school that morning, as she did every morning, she caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye. She turned, but nothing was there. Laughing at herself, she shook her head and walked on.

She could have sworn she was being watched, a feeling that had often stuck her at odd moments in the past few weeks. It often crossed her mind that could be Jareth continuing to plague her existence.

At that odd feeling she again turned around. Something ducked behind a tree on the other side of the street.

Checking the road for traffic, she dashed across the asphalt. It someone was following her, she was going to find out who!

Reaching the tree, she searched behind it, but whatever she had seen was gone.

"I am losing it," she said aloud to herself pressing her hand against her forehead.

Looking down at her watch, a present from her stepmother so she could keep better track of her time, she saw the hour. It was already five till eight!

"Oh no! I am going to be late again!"

Sprinting back across the street, she sped her way down the block the rest of distance to the school building. The bell was just ringing when she opened the front door.

Seeing Mrs. Walker, the principal, she stopped. She was caught, not that Mr. Simms, her first period teacher, would have let her by.

"Ms. Williams, follow me."

Sarah quietly followed Mrs. Walker to her office.

"This is not the first time you are late."

Sarah felt like hanging her head, but it was not in her manners to do so as she humbly looked at Mrs. Walker responding to the attention to her tardiness. "No, it is not. I got distracted by something this morning. When I noticed the time, I tried…"

Mrs. Walker nodded. "I see and while I want you to try harder to get here on time that is not why I asked you in here."

Sarah looked blankly at her. If she did not want to discuss her tardiness then what did she want?

"I ran into your stepmother the other day…"

Sarah's face fell at the mention of her stepmother. She knew that her stepmother was friends with Mrs. Walker, not a fact she relished or shared with anyone.

"…and the subject of your lack of social involvement with others came up."

Sarah had friends. She just could not mention any of them. And Sarah liked her time to herself. What was it anyone else's business?

"Well in the past, she has mentioned how much you love to act out parts from plays and even dressing up to fit the role." Surely, her stepmother had also told her how Sarah's mother was a stage actress as well.

Gritting her teeth, she kept herself from saying something she should not. She felt resentment that they had talked about her like this.

"The drama department is getting ready to put on a play soon. I think you might be interested in trying out for it. It could be a good chance for you to get to know others with similar interests to your own." Mrs. Walker smiled pleasantly as she handed her a note to be admitted to class. "Think about it."

"Yes, ma'am."

She rose to leave.

"And Sarah…"

"Yes?"

"Remember that your next tardy will result in afterschool detention."

"Yes, ma'am," she glumly replied dragging her feet half-heartedly out the door.

She walked down the hallway. Today had certainly started out badly.

That afternoon after exiting her last class, she took notice of the poster for auditions that had been hung up on the opposite wall for over a week now. Should she actually take Mrs. Walker's advice? Navigating her way through the crowd, she read the poster.

_The Mystery Behind the Masks_. A play her own mother had acted in on the stage up in New York. The story centered upon events that happened at a masquerade.

Sarah took an immediate interest. Besides still having a passion for acting, it was her mother's play. Finding a pen, she wrote her name on the signup sheet and headed home.

The next afternoon she sat nervously in one of the auditorium's seats waiting for her name to be called. She had been one of the last ones to sign up, so she would be one of the last ones to audition.

"Sarah Williams."

Finally, her name was called. Standing up, her stomach churned. While she had play acted, she had never actually auditioned for a play and did not know if it would have made a difference if she had.

Swallowing back the lump in her throat, she read the part the drama teacher, Mrs. Givens, had assigned her to read with another. It was the scene where the leading female character discovered through a conversation she was not suppose to hear that her betrothed was planning an assassination attempt on her friend's father. Afterwards, she confronts her betrothed over his plans insisting and pleading that he not go through with it. He warns her to stay out of the matter or else she will find herself meeting a similar fate.

When her words came to an end, she realized how eerily quiet the auditorium had become, unnerving her.

"Was I that bad?"

Mrs. Givens stood up coming towards the stage. "On the contrary, you were that good."

Reaching her Mrs. Givens added, "And what's even more, you did it so much like the person who originated the role. It is almost like you knew exactly how she portrayed the character."

Sarah smiled at the unknown connection made to her own mother.

"But I doubt you have ever even seen the original. You are much too young that even if you had, you could have never remembered it."

"But I have," Sarah admitted, "Not live, but I have an old video-recording of it that was made."

Mrs. Givens looked at her skeptically. "Stage-productions are not normally allowed to be taped."

"My mother has all her plays taped for me so I can watch them anytime I wish. It is the only way she will agree to take a part in a play."

The drama teacher blinked at her in awe. "Linda Williams is your mother?"

Sarah nodded.

The teacher's face spread into a wide smile. "I knew you looked familiar. You look just like she did when she was at this age."

"You knew my mother?"

"Yes, she was a student of mine years ago. She still sends me a ticket to the opening night of each of her plays. She was always so thoughtful even as a teenager."

A bittersweetness consumed Sarah. She could not help but to think of how different she was from her mother for after what she had done she could never think of herself as thoughtful in the way her mother's former teacher had just described her former pupil. And while Sarah knew that her mother had attended the same school as she, it still was strange to her to have this encounter.

"My mother often talked about her days here. It was where she was first inspired seriously take up acting."

"She told me that when she sent me that first ticket."

"But I thought she said her teacher's name was a Mrs. James."

Mrs. Givens chuckled. "Actually that was Ms. James at one time, my maiden name."

"Oh."

"Anyway, I look forward to working with you and I hope you will think about taking my class next year because, let's see…" She glanced down at the clipboard in her hand. "That is what I thought, you are a junior this year."

"I will." Sarah would not forget. She was actually somewhat thankful that her stepmother had talked to Mrs. Walker now.

Mrs. Givens turned to the auditorium. "Okay that was the last audition. I will post the parts tomorrow morning right before school and will see those who are chosen tomorrow afternoon to begin rehearsing. Have a good day."

"And you," Mrs. Givens said looking at Sarah, "tell your mother I said hi." She descended from the stage flipping through some notes she had made about the auditions.

Sarah quickly followed her down heading for her bookbag when a few girls approached her.

"That was amazing. You are sure to get the lead," a tall, thin girl with straight auburn hair gushed.

"Exactly what I was thinking," a shorter girl with curly blond hair chimed in, "I am so jealous of you."

"I know," another with straight strawberry-blond hair commented.

She forced an awkward smile of her face. These girls were being so nice and faltering that is was making her uncomfortable. "Oh, I am certain I was not all that great and all of you were just as good."

"But you were." A girl with short, black hair walked up to them. "I am Cassie. We were going to go get a pizza; do you want to join us? Please do."

"Um, sure, but I need to call home first."

"Okay, we'll wait," the strawberry-blond acknowledged. "By the way, I am Sally."

"And I'm Stacy and this is Rachel," the auburn introduced herself and the curly blond.

Sarah had such fun with her new friends she could barely believe the time when she looked down at her watch.

"Oh, I need to get going. I told my stepmother I would be home by seven. Bye, guys."

Sarah headed home. On her way, she could have sworn yet again that someone was watching her, following her, but each time she turned around, she saw nothing. Her time in the labyrinth had apparently made her very paranoid, she thought.

Her father was getting home from work just as she was.

"So how was your day?"

"Great dad." She hugged him before leaping lightly up the steps just to have her stepmother greet them both at the door. "Thanks for taking an interest in my life."

"You're welcome." Sarah flew up the steps to her bedroom.

"What was that about," her father asked in stunned silence. While Sarah's behavior towards his wife had improved, she had never been quite so pleasantly grateful towards her before.


	3. Chapter 3

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Chapter 3

Exhausted from rehearsing, Sarah decided to head straight home that day, not that the others were planning on going anywhere anyway. And unfortunately, neither Stacy nor Rachel managed to obtain a part in the play. However, now knowing her, had invited her to eat lunch with them earlier that day. Both Sally and Cassie had a different lunch period so she had not seen them until that afternoon at rehearsal for both of them had received parts. Cassie was the second-leading female while Sally was in a minor role, which included many scenes but very few lines.

And just as the girls had predicted, Sarah ended up with the lead. It concerned her that maybe it had been only her mother's connection to Mrs. Givens that had earned her the role, but when bringing up her worry at lunch, both Stacy and Rachel assured her that was not the case.

Sarah walked out the building as Cassie came running up behind her, her dark hair flying out as she ran. "Hey, wait for me!"

"Hey, what is it?"

"You're heading that way aren't you?" Cassie pointed in the direction of Sarah's house.

"Yeah, I am. Why?"

"That's what I thought. So am I."

"But I thought you lived in the other direction." Sarah could have sworn that the other day when they left the restaurant, which was near the school, that she had seen Cassie go the opposite way.

"I do. I live with my mother but this weekend I am staying with my father."

"Oh," Sarah's voice betrayed the note of sadness. She wondered if she would ever truly get over her parents' divorce. It had been almost six years since they had broken the news to Sarah that they were not able to reconcile the marriage. But Sarah had continued to hope. That was until was Karen had entered their lives. She had finally been forced to come to terms that her parents would never get back together.

"Anyway I thought we could walk together."

"Onward we march then!" Sarah's threw a fist up in the air playing around trying to break out of the funk the memories of the divorce had brought on.

Cassie laughed as they began walking. "You're something else. And hey, what about getting to kiss Drew Warner?" Cassie grinned as she bumped shoulders with Sarah.

The redness crept up on Sarah's face. "Well…I am trying not to think about it. I mean I hardly know the guy."

"But he is so cute and so nice." Cassie's dark eyes became dreamy. "I certainly would not mind. And hey, your mother has to do the same thing a lot too, doesn't she with being an actress and all?"

Why did Cassie have to hit one of her sorest subjects? "Um, yeah she does." It was one of those stage kisses that had lead to an affair and the divorce.

"Maybe she can give you some advice on how to handle it," Cassie offered up.

"Yeah, maybe."

"What's that mommy?!" Both girls turned at the little's boy outburst just in time for Sarah to see a glimpse of a shadowy figure disappear behind some green shrubby in the boy's neighboring yard. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I don't see anything, but it's time to go in. Come on." The boy's mother hurried him along into the house.

"Children and their imaginations," Cassie said in a chuckle laughing off the boy's sighting.

"Yeah," Sarah agreed before pulling around her bookbag pretending to search for something, "Oh no!"

"What is it?"

She heaved her backpack back around to her shoulders. "I forgot my history book and I have a paper due Monday. I have to go back."

"I can go with you. It wouldn't take long."

"No, you go ahead." She waved a hand in urging Cassie to do so. She did not want Cassie trying to come with her. "I don't want to hold you up."

"Okay, see you Monday then." Cassie acted disappointed that she would have to continue on alone.

"Bye." Sarah waved walking back towards the school careful to keep an eye on the bush the figure had ducked behind until Cassie was out of sight.

She kept going past the bush until passing by a tree. After a few more steps she steered her course so that sight of her became hidden by the tree. Once concealed, she doubled-back keeping a watch on the bush from her hiding spot.

There she waited until she saw him. The short dwarf crept out darting his eyes around to make sure the coast was clear this time before plunging in and out behind other available spots as he made his direction back the way he had seen her go.

Running from behind a parked car, he made his way to the very tree that was Sarah's own cover. Her hands were already on her hips by the time he saw her standing there.

"Sarah! I…., I was just looking for you. No one has heard from you and we were…well worried." Sarah had to give it to Hoggle that he was convincing in his tone and act just the way he had the times Jareth had forced him to trick her.

Pursing her lips, she shook her head. "Why have you been following me? And I know you have been because I saw you yesterday morning. Now out with it!"

Hoggle looked down for a second shuffling his feet. "Jareth ordered me to."

"Why? And why would you Hoggle? I thought you were my friend."

Hoggle shrugged. "I do not question him. I just do as I am ordered. And I am your friend."

"Then prove it! You don't always do as he says. You've showed that before." She slumped down to her knees. "Come on Hoggle. Tell me."

He took a step backwards. "Look, I was not even to been seen. I will already be facing the bog."

"Then you may as well tell me. What more could he do?"

"You could not even imagine Sarah." Sarah realized he was probably right recalling the some of the other horrible things she had seen. Hoggle scraped the ground with his foot. "Besides, he did not intend any harm."

Leaning forward, she placed a hand on his arm. "What do you mean by that?"

"Um, nothing. I have already said too much." He tried pulling away but she wouldn't let him. "I should go let him know that I messed up."

She tightened her grip. "No, you will tell me what you mean first! And if what you say is true you may not have to tell him anyway."

"You mean you would let me keep following you like I am suppose to and I would not have to let him know that I failed?"

"Yes," she nodded and then slowly smiled, "You are my friend so I will help you, if you help me."

He frowned. "You do not play fair. Alright, another in the Underground took notice of your presence and he is making sure she stays her distance."

"Why would she bother with me?"

"Because of Jareth."

"Why? I have nothing to do with Jareth!"

"It does not matter! She thinks she can use you against him."

She stood up turning away. "So he is still doing this to serve his own end."

"I don't think so. At least not in the way you think."

"What do you mean?"

"Jareth can handle himself."

"Are you trying to say…"

"I don't know, Sarah, maybe." Hoggle sounded as if he had betrayed some deep, dark secret of Jareth's.

She turned on him. "It cannot be true," she shouted, "Leave me alone and tell him to do the same."

"But Sarah you promised."

She could not believe all this was happening. And Hoggle was wrong! Jareth had no feelings for her. It had all been a game of his to keep her away from Toby.

She wanted no part of this. But she had promised Hoggle. He was right about this and he was her friend despite what he had done. "Fine, but if that is not the truth and Jareth pulls something then I will never speak to you again. Our friendship will be done."

"But Sarah…," she heard as she rushed passed him desperate to get home. She just wanted to hide in her room.

She ran up the stairs passed her stepmother. "Sarah, are you okay?"

Not replying she slammed her bedroom door closed. Her stepmother sighed disappointed as Sarah's father walked into the room. "I thought things were finally starting to change."

"They have. She showed that with her appreciation towards you the other day. And you know things have been better the last couple of weeks between you two." He was not happy with his daughter's behavior, but considering her change in attitude towards her stepmother, he reasoned that this was about something else. "Something probably upset her at school today. I will give her a little while to calm down before going up to speak to her." They both knew Sarah's temper when she was troubled.

She gave him a solemn nod. "Let's stay in tonight so she won't have to watch Toby for us. If something did happen, she will not want to."

"Call the restaurant and cancel our reservations." Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, he kissed her temple. "And thank you."

Going to Sarah's door, he lightly tapped his knuckles against it. "Sarah, can I come in?"

A silence ensued. Then her door gradually drifted open. She stood there. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to be rude to her. I just wanted to be alone." She already knew what this was really about. She had run up the stairs ignoring her stepmother.

"I understand. But is everything okay? Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Are you sure?" He extended a hand out to rub her shoulder.

"Yes." She was already fighting back the tears and besides what could she have told him anyway?

"Well okay then, we will be downstairs if you need to talk." He drew back the corners of his mouth expressing sadness over his daughter's state. "She thought you could use some time, so we decided not to go out tonight. We will tend to Toby."

"Tell her I did not mean anything by what I did earlier and thanks." She was indeed grateful that her stepmother was being so considerate about her feelings tonight. She did need the time. "And thank you too dad."

"Of course." As she started to close the door, he added, "And one more thing Sarah."

She pulled the door back ajar. "Yes?"

He reached over pressing a warm, embracing hug upon her. "Whatever it is, it will be okay."

"I hope so." Closing the door, she walked to her bed plopping down on the mattress. She had begun to really think about what Hoggle had said. This woman Hoggle had mentioned could really believe there was something between her and Jareth. And if so, would she really try to hurt her or possibly worst, kill her? Was her life in danger? And could Hoggle be right that Jareth was really doing all this to actually protect her? Or was this just a story he was telling Hoggle to get the dwarf to do his bidding?

The only thing Sarah knew for sure was that she had to be on-guard for anything and she had to make sure to protect not only her own self, but those close to her as well.

"Hoggle, are you in here?"

Clothes fell out of her closet as he pushed himself past her dirty laundry. "You are as bad as those nasty goblins."

Cutting him eyes, "Well no one told you to hide in my closet. How did you get pass me and in there anyway?"

"A little magic courtesy of Underground travel."

"Huh?" From everything Sarah knew Hoggle possessed no magic.

He shrugged as he walked over to her vanity table where her jewelry box laid opened. "It is just something travelers from the Underground can do. Do not expect me to explain how." Picking up a ring, he twirled it in his fingers. "I thought you did not want to speak to me."

"I am still mad at you. But I have been considering what you told me. And well, I need to know have you seen any signs of this woman? Is she really a threat to me?"

He pocketed the ring before coming to sit beside her. "Luckily not, but she very well could be."

Standing up, she paced across the middle of her floor. "And there is not anything I could possibly do about her? Any way of deterring her like speaking to her and letting her know exactly how much I hate that man?"

Hoggle appeared glum-faced. "Not even if it was about you."

She continued to pace. "And it's not, it is? Not really, at least. I am stuck with this looming threat because of him." She kicked her nearly empty waste basket sending small bits of trash flying across the floor. Sarah may have kept a lot of worn clothes stuffed in the bottom of her closet, but overall she was a fairly tidy person at least from an overall visual perception of her room. One walking in there would never have seen the mess.

"Then what am I suppose to do? Sit here and wait until she tries something!" She assumed that if Jareth was telling Hoggle the truth that he must have already tried to convince the woman that there was no need in bothering with her. Why else would he send Hoggle to watch over her? If this was indeed true. She still had her doubts.

Hoggle just shook his head like he did not know what to tell her.

Groaning in frustration, she threw herself into her chair at the vanity table. Pounding her fist against the hard wood, she muttered, "Why did I even make that stupid wish in the first place? I wish I never had, then I never would have even of been in the Underground and none of this would be happening. Yes, I wish I would never have been there at all!"

"But," Hoggle's voice sounded unusually sad for the gruff dwarf, "we would not be friends."

Sarah looked up into her mirror seeing Hoggle's reflection behind her. "I'm sorry Hoggle; I did not mean it that way. I'm just…," she gave him a sort-of-smile,"…scared." She knew the self-proclaimed coward would understand.

He walked over to her. "I am scared for you too."

She hugged him about in tears. "I am glad you are the one watching over me Hoggle." She pulled back. "Just let me know if there is something more to worry about. Okay?"

"I will," he promised her. "She has not tried anything yet. Maybe she won't. Probably already forgot about you."

She laughed trying to comfort herself. "You are probably right. Why else would she wait so long? Anyway, you should probably go before he knows you have been with me and I should get this mess cleaned up."

"I will be around if you need me." As Hoggle went to leave, she stopped him holding out her hand. "One more thing." She curled her fingers up in a _give me_ motion.

He begrudgingly reached into his pocket and handed her the ring. "I was only going to borrow it."

She shook her head as Hoggle left. Placing the ring back into her jewelry box, she stared into the mirror. "What was she going to do?"

From afar, two watched her.

From his own bedroom within the castle walls, Jareth felt it was safe enough to venture a peek at her. He was not pleased that Hoggle had been caught, but decided that maybe it was better that Sarah did know. She would be more cautious. But it hurt him what she had said. She hated him so much even now when all he was doing was trying to protect. Sadness overwhelmed him as he stroked the image of her face in the crystal orb. He would continue to protect her at least.

Cassandra watched her as well. So Jareth is protecting her, she mused. She had known that the little dwarf had been following the girl already, but this was the first solid proof that Jareth had been the one behind him doing so. Jareth could pretend that the girl meant nothing to him, but she had known better. She felt giddy with anticipation over her plans of how she would use the girl against him to get what she wanted.


	4. Chapter 4

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Chapter 4

Even with feeling like she was constantly looking back over her shoulder, Sarah's life continued like normal. She went to school, had rehearsals for the play in the afternoons, and even begun to hang out more with her friends on the weekend meeting them at the movies, the pizza place, and even the park with Toby in tow.

Only when no one was around would she call upon Hoggle to make certain nothing that she needed to know about had occurred.

"So Miss Catherine, are you ready for tomorrow night?"

"Why Sir Nathan, are you worried that I will get so nervous I will throw up on you?"

Drew's face blanched at her words. "I hope not!"

Laughter overcame Sarah as she watched him. He is so adorable, she thought, as her heart fluttered within her. "I have some butterflies, but I am really looking forward to it. My mom has even arranged to fly down. She was worried she would not be able to. You?"

"That is great about you mother!" After being cast as two of the main leads, along with Cassie and Tim in the other two main leading roles, Drew and Sarah had began to talk a lot. She really liked him, so much so in fact, that she was disappointed Mrs. Givens had already planned from the beginning that the kiss between their characters would only be Drew kissing her cheek due to their youth and inexperienced acting unlike the full-fledge kiss done in the original play. "A little nervous as well, but not quite as nervous as I would be if, well if, I had to really kiss you in front of all those people."

Sarah felt a nudge of discontentment that Drew had really not wanted to kiss her at all. Sure she had been scared to death over it, but not for the reason Cassie had thought. It would have been her first real kiss. And it would have been with Drew, who she now wanted so badly to kiss her. Her hand instinctively went up to her cheek where she could still imagine feeling his lips from previous rehearsals. She tried not to blush recalling their warmth and the dizzy feeling that overcame her each time they were there, wishing they were on her lips instead.

"Of course that would have been really embarrassing to have everyone judging and commenting on it."

"Maybe so, but I don't think I would have minded too much since it would have been with you. In fact to make up for it…" Drew grinned sheepishly as he ran a trembling hand through his hair. "I don't know if you are interested but would you like to go to a stage production of _Beauty and the Beast_ opening next weekend. I thought you might like it."

So she had been wrong! Drew was attracted to her and he was asking her out on a date! Maybe she would get that kiss after all. Her mind whirled her at the possibly. "I would love to. That is at the Modern Arts House, isn't it? They put on the best plays." Sarah had been there several times and she loved the place. While it might be called Modern Arts House, it was anything but. The building was a restored theatre out of the earlier 1800s. And just as she had said, the plays were always marvelous.

"Well then," his eyes searched around like he was looking for something else to say but could not think of anything beside, "see you tomorrow night Miss Catherine."

"Till then Sir Nathan."

The next night came and went. The play was a major success and her mother had been there sitting alongside the rest of her family in the front row. It was she, who insisted that Sarah's performance had been better than her own. Sarah knew she was lying and unwillingly accepted the praise. While there her mother visited with Mrs. Givens after the play before going out to eat with her daughter and her ex's family.

Sarah spent the night with her mother at her hotel. While her father and stepmother had politely offered that she stay at the house instead, Sarah realized it was too soon for that as her mother graciously declined. After having a wonderful time with her mother the night before, her father came to pick them up before dropping her mother off at the airport.

Taking her in her arms, her mother hugged her. "I'm sorry I cannot stay longer, but I have to get back for rehearsals." Her mother had her own play opening the following week. If she had not threatened to drop out of the play all together, the director would have never even given her this time off to see her daughter's play. Linda did not normally play the diva act to get what she wanted, but had told Sarah that there was no way she was missing her first play. Ever since the divorce, she had continually impressed upon Sarah that nothing else was more important in her life than her daughter even more so than when she had still been married to her father.

"I understand." She hugged her mother back. "I am just happy you were here. I miss you so much."

"So do I. So do I." She wiped away Sarah's tears. "Your father and I have already talked about you coming up to be with me this summer."

"Really?" Sarah could hardly believe it. It was her mother who always came and visited her. Her father had insisted on it leaving no room for objection in his full custody of Sarah with her mother visitation rights.

"Yes and I think it is a good idea for you. You are old enough now." Her father had stood back until then to give them time and space to say their goodbyes. "Linda, I do not mean to rush you but I do need to get Sarah to school." It was Friday. They had opened the school production on a Thursday and would close it out on Saturday.

"Of course. Take care dear." She kissed her daughter's forehead before reaching to take her bag from her ex. "Thank you." She hesitated for a moment as their eyes met. And for just that moment, Sarah could once again see the love her parents had once had for each other, something that would forever remain a part of them.

She took the bag sighing a little to herself. She pressed another hug on her daughter, "Till we see each other again."

"Till we see each other again," Sarah replied with her mother's traditional parting words as her mother turned to go slipping into the crowd. In all her life, she had never heard her mother say any other when leaving, not even goodbye, not to her or anyone else. Sarah had once asked her why, but her mother just shrugged telling her, "Just an old habit, I guess."

At school that day, Sarah felt awkward receiving so much attention, but she muddled through trying to focus on her school work before heading to the local pizza parlor to catch something to eat prior to heading back to the school's auditorium for the second night of the play. It was just as successful as the first night leaving Sarah with a smile on her face as Drew once again kissed her cheek making her look forward to the next night and the next kiss on the final night of the play.

"Final night Sarah," Sally commented as she sat beside Sarah backstage Saturday night.

"I know. Too bad it has to end." Sarah enjoyed the stage and all that went with it. Her mind traveled to Drew and those lips of his.

"Well, all good things come to an end," Cassie remarked as she whisked into the room, "Besides we are still going out tonight to celebrate right?"

"Yeah, are Stacy and Rachel still coming too?" Sarah stood up checking her makeup one last time.

"I think Stacy is, but Rachel has a date. Peter Weir asked her out."

"Oh, okay. Well, at least Stacy's coming."

Cassie then turned a cat-like smile on her. "And what is this that I hear you have a date with one Drew Warner next weekend?"

Sarah blushed guessing Drew must have mentioned it to one of his friends for Sarah had yet to tell anyone except her mother the other night after the play, reminding her that she still needed to run it by her father to get permission to be out. "I do. We are going to the theatre house downtown."

"Sounds fun. I insist on getting all the details now."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Yeah sure, my date turns into an interrogating analysis session for my friends."

Sally propped her elbows down on the table Sarah was at chin in hand. "By the way then, any other significant others in the past you would like to discuss? Come on Sarah talk. The masses are dying to know."

Sarah shook her head laughing in both embarrassment and hilarity at her friend, who typically did seem to only have boys on her mind. "Sorry, even if I did have anything interesting to disclose, I don't kiss and tell." And it is not something Sarah would have if she was not already uncomfortable about her lack of experience in the dating arena.

"Oh, leave her alone for now Sally. We will make her squeal after her date with Drew." Cassie set her brush down. "Let's go." The three walked to the edge of the stage together sliding on their masks. In the play, Cassie played her friend that her betrothed planned to murder the father of. And Sally was a girl who happened to be tricked by the lures of the fiancée into betraying her two best friends to help him. It was a very-small but important role setting things in motion.

Taking her position on the stage for the first act, Sarah spotted Drew in his mask across the stage. Looking directly at her, he smiled with sincere pleasure at her for it would be some time now before their stage characters would get to interact with each, not till the end of the second act.

"Miss Catherine, are you well?" Drew's character of Sir Nathan stood before her staring with such intensity that it made her quiver. He knelt down beside the chair she sat in. They were hidden behind a staircase isolating the scene from the rest of the stage still portraying the masquerade. "You look as if you have been crying."

She dabbed the handkerchief under the mask. "I will be fine."

"Should I at least go get my sister?" Earlier in the play, it was introduced that Nathan was the brother to Cassie's character.

She started wailing. "Nooooo…."

He reached his arms around her making Sarah fall into their warmth. "This is Sir Drake's doing. I never did like that man. Lydia has told me how badly tempered he is towards you. Something should have been done about him a long time ago. Tell me Catherine, what did he do? Why are you so upset?"

She shook her head. "I…I can't."

"Catherine, I cannot stand to see you upset anymore than I can my own sister. You are like family to me." He squeezed her hand. "Please tell me." Staring up into his eyes piercing into hers, she almost forgot to say her line.

"I can't. I can't tell anyone…or else he will...he'll kill me." She burst into sobs holding the satin napkin to her mouth.

"Well that will not happen. I will see to that." He rose balling his fist to show the anger his character was suppose to be in. But unlike the other nights, Sarah could feel his anger radiate from him. Damn, she thought, Drew is such an excellent actor.

Sarah jumped up grabbing at his shirt. "You must not confront him or he will know I told you."

"It will be okay. I promise to protect you Catherine. Here." He held her against him making Sarah lightheaded. Was it just the last night of the play that was making her feel these heighten emotions from herself and Drew? Was Drew even feeling the same or was it just her?

Looking up into Drew's eyes, she continued, "Nathan, I need to tell you something. I wanted to tell you earlier, but I was afraid. It is so awful."

"What? What is it Catherine?"

Hiding her head in his shirt, she told the character, "He plans to have your father killed."

His voice was dark with a bitter edge. "He will meet the sword before my father will."

The scene closed leaving Sarah and Drew standing in their characters' embrace. To Sarah's contentment, he held her longer than normal after the curtain went down, which Sarah attributed to being the final night of experiencing this scene.

During the last part of act three, the last act of the play, Nathan and Catherine out Sir Drake's scheme in the midst of the masquerade ball.

A physically restrained Drake spouts out to Catherine, "I was doing a mercy in choosing you especially with your lowly prospects. You will never find another willing to marry you now."

"You are wrong about that." Sir Nathan turned to Catherine's parents. "With your blessings…," he faced Catherine, "I would like to marry you. And not as a favor because of what you did for my family, because I had already spoken my intentions to my own parents when your engagement to Sir Drake was announced. I only waited too late. I love you Catherine. Say you will marry me."

"I will Nathan. If only I had known…"

Sarah watched eagerly as Drew leaned down towards her to give her cheek the kiss that Catherine receives from Nathan, waiting for those lips to met the tender side of her face. But that was not to happen…

Drew's lips touched gently to hers. Her heart skittered as she melted into his embrace, his lips tasting hers as she tasted the warm sweet, saltiness of his. She did not think Mrs. Givens would be too happy over this, but she did not care. The only thing she cared about were those lips upon hers and the man behind them. She could hear the gasps around her as the kiss continued.

"Okay, you two break it up." Drew finally pulled away from her sighing with relutance. Sarah stood there looking up at Mrs. Givens who just shook her head, a slight curve at the corners of her mouth. "Maybe I should have left the kiss in. Get ready for the curtain call."

After the curtain call, Sarah tried to find Drew but had lost him backstage. After extracting herself from everyone else's attention, mainly focused on the kiss, she at last spotted one of Drew's friends, Tim. "Hey Tim, where did Drew go?"

"What do you mean? Drew's at home sick with the flu. That was Marshall." Marshall had been the understudy for Drew.

"No it wasn't." Marshall walked up to them. "I did not even know Drew was not here."

"If that was not Drew and it was not Marshall, then who was it," Cassie questioned as she and Sally joined them.

Marshall shrugged. "Beats me."

Sarah did not care for his nonchalant attitude. "Well I certainly would like to know who that was kissing me!"

"Yeah, because that was certainly some kiss," Sally spoke in awe grinning to herself.

Ignoring her friend, she looked back at Tim pleadingly. "This is not some sort of joke, is it? Saying that it was not Drew when it was?"

Tim held up his hands. "Whoa, I would not do that."

"Well, is there anyway Drew may have started feeling better and showed up without you knowing."

"Not with the hundred degree fever and throwing up, he wouldn't." Tim appeared sincere. "He was really disappointed he couldn't, especially because of you. He did not want to let you down." Tim rubbed the back of his neck. "Just don't tell him, I told you the last part of that."

Sarah nodded understanding that Tim had broken a cardinal guy rule of letting a girl know exactly how much his buddy cared about her. "If anybody hears anything about who that was, please let me know because that was a dirty trick they pulled." When she thought it had been Drew she was okay with the kiss, but now she was furious. The nerve of someone to just kiss her like that! She turned to Sally and Cassie. "Hey guys, I think after this I am going to opt out of tonight. See you Monday."

"Yeah you too."

"Rest easy."

On her way home, a nagging thought plagued Sarah. She tried to deny it, but it kept coming back up each time she tried to push it away.

No it couldn't have been! But she knew that it was exactly the kind of games he liked to play.

"Hoggle!"

The dwarf came scurrying out from behind a bush. "What is it? Are you okay?"

"Hoggle, were you watching the play?"

"Yes. Not my taste. Blah, mushy stuff. But Sarah was good."

"Well, you saw the kiss right?"

"I feared if he was watching that Jareth may come after the guy."

Sarah's eyebrows shot down accusingly at a sharp angle. "Why would you think that?!"

"Um, well, because…" Hoggle mumbled.

"Hoggle." Her hands went to her hips as she looked down at him.

Meeting her eyes, he broke. "You kissing me is why we ended up in the bog. He said if you ever kissed me, he would make me the Prince of the Bog of Eternal Stench."

"What," she nearly shouted. "That jealous egomaniac! He cannot have my affections so he wants no one else to either!" She stomped away with Hoggle following close behind.

"Sarah?"

"AAUGH!" She was furious. The pain vibrated up her foot as it met someone's iron-wrought fence. "It was him. It was him. I knew it. That jerk! Of all the low, despicable things…"

The tears fell as she slid down to a sitting position. Her back fell against the fence. "I'm sorry, Hoggle. I'm sorry I put you in that position."

Hoggle sat down beside her. "Doesn't matter. You didn't know."

"And now he has done it to me again!"

Hoggle looked at her questioningly, "Done what?"

"Manipulate things so he can get what he wants! And it was he behind Drew's cold!" She had no doubt that Drew would probably be fine tomorrow. Just a 24-hr bug right? Curtsey of one Jareth, the Goblin King. Just to make Drew sick long enough for Jareth to take advantage of the situation.

"Did I miss something?" Hoggle was dumbfounded. He had no clue what she was talking about.

"That kiss," Sarah started, "It was not who it was suppose to be. The guy fell ill and it was not his understudy. No one knows who it was." She turned to Hoggle. "So don't you see? It was him. He was the one who kissed me."

Hoggle just shook his head. "I had no idea Sarah. Honest."

She gave her best effort at a smile. "I believe you. Let's go." Sarah stood up to head home. She just wanted to forget it all. Forget how slowly he had leaned into her barely hovering those lips in front of hers where she could feel their heat before they at last tenderly parted hers tasting so sweet as he held her close against him enfolded in his embrace.

She swayed. The nausea at the thought of it being him snaked its way up her throat. An azalea bush became her victim as she retch her inners onto it.

Her first kiss. What should have been a moment for her to cherish was forever ruined. Thanks to him.

As he donned the mask, he smiled to himself. She would never even know it was him. No one would. He did not even look like himself. He could be near her without anything including Cassandra ever knowing.

And all it took was making that pitiful little child sick enough that he could not even get out of bed and taking his form so no one would know the difference.

He had watched each of her rehearsals including her reading lines in the privacy of her own bedroom. While he had observed those only from his crystal in the hidden shadows of his bedroom, he had managed to sneak away to partake in the previous performances till where he knew the lines he spoke well.

He had not planned this, not at all. But when he saw the man-child kiss his precious Sarah, even if it was only on the cheek, he nearly flew out of his seat to separate them. Sarah was his love and no other should be kissing her. He would not allow it! He could not stand even the mere idea of it!

As soon as the play had ended that first night he had went to take care of the boy, but had been deterred by the presence of the boy's family hovering around him. As he waited for his opportunity, he realized that if the boy was to just disappear then both Sarah and Cassandra were likely to suspect that he had something to do with it. Sarah would be furious and hate him. And Cassandra, that is what really worried him, would take it as stronger proof and possibly go after Sarah. So he had played it smart and kept his distance for another night, one in which Drew had an unfortunate mishap of somehow forgetting the kiss on the cheek. When others asked what happened, he had just shook his head not recalling having not done so.

And now was Jareth's chance to act and be with his beautiful, talented Sarah. To him Sarah's performances had been flawless and as he stood before her saying the words his character was to say to Sarah's, "I would like to marry you." No one doubted his words either because in his heart the words were already true to him. He wanted Sarah more than he had ever wanted anything.

And as he leaned to kiss her cheek as his character was suppose to, he found that he just could not resist her. Seeing those luscious, red lips in front of him belonging to her, to his Sarah, he had to have them. He had to seize the moment. He just had to give her a kiss, to press his wanting, hungry lips to hers savoring their sweetness.

Her body fell limp against him not drawing away as he had half-expected she would. She was letting him kiss her, wanting him to kiss her.

It was not until that annoying drama teacher butted in that he drew away. It was then that he realized his mistake. Sarah did not know he was kissing her. She thought it was that…that miserable child who had done it.

As soon as the curtain call was over, he disappeared into the shadows, mad at his own self. That was when he overheard her conversation with the others. One knew the boy was sick. And now Sarah knew it was not him. Jareth just wondered how long it would take her to realize who exactly it had been. He knew she would. And then the already furious young woman would become even angrier when she finally figured it out.

He turned his back on her to go, but something halted him.

_Her._

She was here somewhere. His preoccupation with Sarah had dulled his awareness of her presence before now. Cassandra was here. His heart froze. He would not let her harm Sarah.

Concealed, he kept his eyes upon her waiting till she was all alone. Walking up behind her in his normal form, she turned around and delightfully smiled at him.

"Jareth, what a pleasant surprise," she acted just as innocently happy to see him, "How did you enjoyed the play? Did you like my performance?"

"What are you even doing in a children's play?"

"Tsk, tsk, Jareth," she shook her head, "If you really think of these as children, then why did you kiss her?"

He leaned against the wall. "What are you talking about?"

She walked towards him. "Oh come on, like you could fool me? I sensed your presence just as you sensed mine. After all, we are both of the Underground and both of magic. I am just surprise it took you so long to know I was here, but then…," she gave him a cat-like smile, "I guess you had other things on your mind."

"Like what?" Jareth crossed his arms. "Like making sure you did not mess with some child I told you to leave alone. The girl already caused enough of a nuisance in my kingdom. I will not have you somehow tricking her into making more."

"Oh don't play coy with me Jareth. I know perfectly well that it was you who kissed Sarah."

Jareth stiffened. She was not supposed to have known, nobody was.

"And do not try to tell me you did not want to or did not enjoy it." She leaned close to him and whispered, "I saw how you lingered at her lips, how close you held her, how you did not want to let her go."

He sneered at her, "Don't read more into it than what it was. The girl owed me something and I took it. That was all."

"Really?" She raised her eyebrows in suspicion. "Then why do you have your trained puppy-dog following her around all the time. And do not try to claim he is doing it on his own for I know you ordered him. I heard him say as much."

Realizing there was no need in even denying it anymore; Jareth decided it was time to change tactics. "Okay, fine, the girl does interest me. What is it to you anyway? What do you plan to get out of this?"

She laughed. "For now, just this. To see that the mighty Jareth, the cold-hearted Goblin King has fallen, he has finally fallen and at the feet of a mere mortal girl-child, who is not even a woman yet."

"Fine," he growled, "You got your laugh and you have proved it, but now that you know this, you also know what I will do if you prove anymore interference in her life."

Cassandra now appeared bored with the situation. "Of course, it was never my intention to do anything to her. What good would it do me anyway? The only thing you have that I do not already have myself is your kingdom and I certainly do not want that confounding puzzle filled with its odd assortment of annoying creatures. No thank you. I will just stick to my fortress where my human servants serve me well."

"See that you do," he barked.

She bowed her head to him and vanished.

Jareth did not trust her for one moment. To have gone to all this trouble just to prove some claim, it was not worth Cassandra's time. However, he did feel that Sarah was probably safe for now. Cassandra was foolish to try to go up against him in anything, but she certainly was not stupid. She would not go after Sarah at this time and risk the consequences. And by the time she might feel safe enough, she hopefully would have forgotten all about Sarah.

Cassandra had not been happy when she had felt Jareth presence earlier. Him being there had ruined her plans. Tonight was supposed to have set her scheme in motion and now she would have to wait, wait until Jareth forgot she was lurking in the shadows ready to use the girl for her own purposes. At least the one good thing to come out of this was that she no longer had to play the part of a teenager. Shaking her mass of black hair out, she was glad to be herself once again. No longer would she have to listen to their silly conversations, try to make small talk with them, or wear their silly clothes. She smiled thinking how once several years passed that Jareth would never even see her coming and neither would the mortal girl.


	5. Chapter 5

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Chapter 5

Jareth watched from a limb outside her bedroom window. She was so distraught with hurt rage that he was tempted to just leave. This was not what he had intended to happen.

He flew against the window using his magic to thrust it open. His entrance startled her. She spun around to gape in his direction so fast that she had to take a step back to steady herself.

"What is this stupid owl…," she stopped short drawing back as the realization overtook her.

Her eyes stayed upon him as he took his human shape before her just as he had once before, his presence just as imposing as ever. He smiled alluringly at her bowing his head while gesturing his gloved hand in the air.

The awe of his captivating nature did not preclude her as the anger soared into her heart. Why did his have to be so damn charming?!

"What are you doing here? You have no reason. You have no right. Leave," her words dripped with disdain. She did not cower before him like she had before. Then, she had been surrounded by an aura of uncertainty. This time she was not. She was determined to make him leave. He could not blame her, not after all he had put her through.

"I will in a bit," he assured with a scowl at her loathing of him. "However, I came to inform you and the dwarf that the threat is over. The threat has for now been neutralized, so Hognose…," he never even bothered to look at the dwarf, "your task is through and you are to resume your duties in the labyrinth."

Sarah glared at him. "His name is Hoggle, but I believe you already know that." Jareth did not answer her. Maybe he should have been more considerate. Sarah was already livid enough with him, but he doubted calling Hoggle by his correct name would help any. He hated how Sarah stood up for the dwarf. He hated that she could care for the creature, but not for him.

"That means Sarah is safe," Hoggle exhaled happily. "I will be at my post first thing in the morning."

The genuine relief in the dwarf's voice did nothing but to anger him even more. It was the same relief he had but he felt rage that the dwarf was allowed to express it while he had to keep his bottled up because he knew that Sarah would not accept it.

"When I said to resume your responsibilities, I meant immediately," he snapped at the creature, "Now go."

"It is still dark…," Hoggle began to contest but almost automatically switched his words, "I will see to them right away." He turned to Sarah. "If you need me…"

"You do not have to go yet," Sarah told him glaring at Jareth daring him to challenge her words. Jareth could not help but to smile at her fearless belief that she could back him down getting him an angry glower in return for his amusement.

"I should," Hoggle replied.

"Then I'll call." She walked over to the dwarf leaning down to hug him. As she pulled away, Jareth could see the devilish glint in her eye as she purposely kissed Hoggle's cheek in front of him.

Hoggle gave a frighten glance toward Jareth. While he had gained a little backbone because of Sarah, it was obvious that he was still frightened of the man and the promise he had once made him.

Acting like it held no concern for him, he dismissed Hoggle, "Start with the southern part. The fairies are running rampant."

After waiting for the dwarf to leave, he met Sarah's lovely green eyes, eyes that tormented him with the secrets about this woman he yearned to know. "I will not bother you again. Do not call upon me either unless a fair skin woman with almost black eyes to match her wavy black locks named Cassandra crosses your path. Outsiders are not our concern and she should bother you no more."

"No more," Sarah huffed at him, "She has not bothered me to begin with and she would not even have had a reason to if you had not forced me to the Underground by taking my brother."

Keeping his temper in check, he walked straight towards her until he hovered over her. "Do not forget. It was you who wished your brother away. It was my goblins that took him. It was I that gave you a chance to get him back."

"Only to prevent my every step." Her head tilted back as she met his towering presence. She was not giving him an inch.

"I never promised to make it easy." He stepped around her. "Now I must go. But before I do, you should know that she did indeed make an effort at something. I do not know what she had planned but she was in your play tonight, one of your little friends. So once again, it was I who helped you."

Sarah flipped around moving to make him face her. "It was also you that used the situation to your advantage!"

"What do you mean?" Jareth stood passive pretending he had no clue as to what she could be referring to.

"You know perfectly well what I mean!" Her eyes were now ablaze with green fire. "You made Drew sick and took his place in the play so you could have your way!"

"I do not know what you mean," he lied.

"The kiss," she fumed, "You wanted me, begged me to do want you wanted. So you saw an opportunity to sneak in there and take something you know I would not give you."

He laughed in her face. And he felt bad for it, but saw no other way than to make her believe it had not been him. "You presume too much Sarah. If I had really wanted to, you see that I can take on other forms, so why would I wait so long?" He shrugged without a care. "Besides if I had not been trying to rein in Cassandra, I would not even have bothered being anywhere near that children's play and how would I know the words? I barely remember the title."

"Oh." She had no other words. What else was there to say?

Jareth did not like denying something that had caused him a moment of such happiness, but in return it had caused Sarah such pain that he had come to the conclusion that it was best to just convince Sarah to think that it was just some random mystery boy.

He knew he needed to go as he merely continued to watch her, but it hurt him too much to leave. And he knew why? He no longer had any actual reason to watch her, to further invade her privacy. Before, she had not known he was there and then he had to protect her from Cassandra, but now she knew of his actual existence and she no longer needed his protection. He knew he had to stop watching her, spying on her, the way he had been doing all along. This had to be it. He had to let her go through his heart never would.

He smiled at her so tenderly that her resolve against him seem to ease. "Take care, Sarah." And he was gone.

Sarah stood there in wonderment staring at where Jareth had just stood. She had been so furious with him, but now she just felt…well, empty and unsettled.

She sat down on the bed lost in her own thoughts. She had been so sure it had been Jareth. But it had not been. Or could he have been lying? But why? Why would he lie about that?

Besides he had not seemed to be lying. He was so dismissive of the situation. It did not even register with him.

But then, why wasn't she relieved? She should be. It had not been Jareth after all?

But she wasn't. Why? Was it because she now had no clue who had kissed her?

No it was something else.

It was the nagging thought that despite his claims, it had been Jareth who had kissed her.

Why could she not just believe him?

Was it because of the way he had just smiled at her? Or the way he had told her to 'Take care.' It had seemed out of place for the man she knew him to be especially after the cold-shoulder he had just been giving her. Almost like the coldness had been an act.

As she went to close the window, she wondered if she would ever know. She doubted she would ever even see him again. Hoped she would never have to.

Pulling down her bed-covers, she was certain of one thing though, she would never forget that kiss. The way the person had held her so tenderly close in his arms, the soft touch of his lips upon hers. Even if it was him, it had been wonderful. And maybe that was what was bothering her? It was the obvious caring behind the kiss. Whoever had kissed her did indeed feel something deeply for her. The kiss told her so.

He watched her as she closed the window and laid her head down to sleep before flying off into the darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Chapter 6

"Jareth, the Goblin King, I call upon you," the voice rang out in the back of his mind. It was a voice he had never before heard, someone not of his kingdom. The person was too far away. So who was possibly calling to him? What unknown person would have the nerve or the courage to beckon him, the Goblin King, a being that most feared by his reputation alone?!

In all his long years, only one other had had such bravery, the one that to this day still haunted him. He wondered where she was, she who hated him as much as he loved her. It had been years since he had seen her, even through his crystals. He had held true to his resolve to let her go, to let her live her life without inference from him or others of his world who would have tried to harm her, such as Cassandra, however hard it had been.

The vision of Sarah drifted away as the voice once again called to him.

Curiosity drove him to discover the origin of the beckoning.

At finding the source of the intrusion in his day, he was more than a little peeved to find some teenage boy there.

"You risk your safety by calling upon the Goblin King. Explain yourself." Jareth held a menacing scowl, one that the youth gave him right back before calming himself. In that moment Jareth saw something he thought he recognized.

Through the picture of struggling with a teenage emotional anger towards being talked to so, the boy looked at him in earnest. "You were my last resort. My sister is missing and I need your help to find her."

Jareth narrowed his eyes at the boy. "You call on me to find a missing person!" He laughed. "I have more important things to do boy. Get the police to help you."

"I have," huffed the lad. "They can't. That is why you must. And that is what you are going to do," he demanded with a surprisingly confidence.

"You think to order me?" Jareth stepped towards the youngling. "Who exactly do you think you are boy?" Jareth could not believe the nerve of this child. "I am the Goblin King." He raised his arms as lighting flashed behind him.

"I'm not afraid of you."

"You should be."

"Well I'm not. My sister wasn't either. She stood up to you and bested you so you are not so tough."

An eerily sense of familiarity about the boy stuck him just as it had when he first entered the room. "The one who is missing?" What the boy had she about his sister had piqued his interest for there was only one she could be.

"Yes." The boy reached behind him to pick up a picture. "This is her. I know you knew her."

Taking the picture a jolt ran through him. "Sarah."

A cold chill reached into him as he stared at a picture of an aged Sarah. She was no longer the young lady she had once been. She was even lovely now as her green eyes sparkled with wisdom smiling like she held some secret he wished he could know.

Looking up at him, Jareth's face was set in stone. "I know where she is." And he did. Cassandra had after all these years had struck again. She had Sarah.

"Where? How do you know?" Toby's face took on a hard edge. "Did you have something to do with this?"

"Not directly." Jareth felt the weight of guilt because it had been his fault for ever bringing Sarah into his world. "The person took her because of me." He looked up into Toby's eyes with a promise. "I stopped this person the last time she tried to go after Sarah. I will stop her this time. I will get her back!"

Jareth looked back at the picture in his hand. "How long has she been missing?"

"About a week."

"A week? That would mean that Cassandra has had her nearly twice as long in our world." Jareth could not understand this. Why would Cassandra have her for so long? "If she does have her, then what is she doing with her? She surely would not have taken Sarah and kept her that long without making her demands." Jareth shook his head. "Something is wrong about this. Maybe I am wrong."

"What do you mean," Toby asked.

"People go missing all the time."

"What are you saying?"

"That there are other reasons that Sarah could be missing." But he knew better. He could feel it in his gut.

"But you will still help, right?"

Jareth looked up into the boy's concerned eyes. He recalled the babe that once sat on his lap. "I gave my word."

He held up his hand, a crystal appeared. He searched it, but saw nothing.

"What are you seeing?" Toby stood there observing but could not see what Jareth saw or did not see in this manner.

Frowning Jareth crushed the crystal. "Nothing. So Cassandra does have her." Cassandra had to of hidden her away in her fortress to prevent him from seeing her. At least he knew where to look, even though that was going to pose an even bigger problem.

"I will bring her back here." Jareth went to leave.

"Wait."

Jareth stared the boy down. He already knew what the boy wanted.

"No."

"But she is my sister."

"And she would want you safe. You can be of no help to me. Your presence would only further endanger your sister's life."

"I promise to stay out of the way. I just need to be there. Please."

"No!"

"Fine then." Toby crossed his arms, his eyes taking on that same determined look his sister's often did despite the difference in their eye color. "I wish the goblins would take me away."

Jareth snorted. "That only works if I have given you the power." He liked the boy's spunk and in fact had given Toby the power to call upon him or his goblins a long time ago, but he certainly did not need the boy to know that little fact. "I will let you come along, but you must do exactly as I say." He feared that the boy could be more of an issue if left behind. He might do something stupid like summoning Cassandra to him, a call she just might answer.

"I will."

"Let's go. We have others to gather." Getting into the fortress was going to be difficult enough. Getting out would require a distraction. And he knew the perfect beast for the job.


	7. Chapter 7

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Chapter 7

"What have I done this time?" Hoggle opened his door to see Jareth and some strange boy standing in his kitchen.

Jareth stood before the little dwarf. "Cassandra has Sarah in her palace."

"What can I do to help," was Hoggle immediate reaction almost to Jareth's disgust. He could not stand the utter devotion the dwarf had to the woman, the same devotion that had sent Jareth to seek help from him. And worst yet, he knew that while Sarah would be grateful for Hoggle's help, it would not be the same for him. She would blame him for getting her in this situation to begin with.

"This is Toby, Sarah's younger brother." Jareth pointed to the boy.

"He was the baby." Hoggle was astonished to see the child after all this time, grown as he was.

"And you're Hoggle," Toby mockingly replied back to the dwarf.

Hoggle nodded at the boy's sarcasm. "Fair enough."

"Hogtale, I want you and Toby to go get Ludo and hide in the ravine on the southern side of Cassandra's castle. In about an hour, I want Ludo to start attacking the castle. I should have found Sarah by then."

Hoggle nodded. Just like him, Ludo would do anything to protect his friend.

"Oh," Jareth said almost as an afterthought, "Hogpile, don't let Toby get killed or captured." He smirked mischievously at the little runt. "Or I will let you deal with his sister."

Jareth laughed as he disappeared from their view.

"He could at least call you by your name," Toby muttered irritated by the man's attitude problem. He had not been looking for the man to be particularly nice considering what he had known about him through Sarah and her book, but the man could at least treat others with some decency. No wonder his sister despised him so.

Jareth appeared as close to the fortress as he dared without the risk of Cassandra's spells announcing his presence. From here, he would have to go it on foot without use of his power for any small hint of magic would alert Cassandra that he was there.

He hid behind the huge boulders watching the sentries guarding the entrance planning his next move. He had to get pass them but how? Even if he had thought about bringing a weapon, killing them would be too noticeable. He had to find a way in without being seen.

His eyes searched the surroundings, which wasn't much. Cassandra's father had years before been banished to the desert beyond the labyrinth, where Cassandra remained until this day.

Turning around, he leaned back against the massive rock to think when his view took in the ravine. The drainage underneath the castle. It would be nauseating but it was the only way.

Using the boulders for coverage, he edged his way around to the other side of the castle until he found the narrow tunnel. It was just big enough for him to squeeze between the two narrow walls that had allowed the ditch to be created centuries ago by such type of smaller creatures. Careful to avoid stepping in as much of the muck as possible, he scooted alongside the stone wall. Just his luck, someone would smell his before he could even find Sarah once he made his way into the castle itself.

Inside, Sarah sat in the room Cassandra had imprisoned her in. Sarah still did not know exactly what Cassandra wanted from her. But since bringing her here, the woman had yet to harm her.

It had been almost two weeks ago when she had shown up to take her.

"Cassie, I don't believe it," Sarah squealed as she ran into her old friend outside the bookstore. "How have you been?"

"Great and you?"

"No real complaints. Could be better, could be worse."

They stopped at a nearby restaurant to eat supper together and catch up on old times.

"Hey whatever did happen to that date with Drew back in high school?"

Sarah shook her head. "After what happened at the play, I never did feel comfortable seeing him."

"Oh that was too bad." Cassie gave her that catlike grin of hers. "So, anyone special in your life now?"

"Nope."

The waitress came to their table. "What can I get for you?" She looked down from her pad at them. "Sarah? Cassie?"

"What are the odds?" Sarah giggled with glee. "I just ran into Cassie this afternoon and now you. Hey what time do you get off work? Maybe the three of us can have an old-fashioned girls' night out."

"In another hour."

"What do you say Cassie? Got an hour to kill?"

"Sounds like a plan."

"Cool," Sally grinned, "Then we just have to stop by my place so I can change clothes."

After ordering a small meal, Cassie and Sarah hung around waiting for Sally to get off work following her to her place afterwards.

As they stepped into the nearly unfurnished apartment, Sarah questioned, "Did you just move in?"

Sally stepped into the side bedroom yelling back through the open door, "Yeah, I just moved back here." Sarah thought back to when Sally came to school very dejected about a week after the play to say that her father, a military man, had been transferred to another base.

Looking into one of Sally's only hangings, a wall-mirror, Cassie fixed her raven black hair before applying some more mascara.

Picking back up her purse, Sally asked, "Hey, didn't you move as well Cassie? I do not remember seeing you much after the play."

"No, but I think I must have gotten whatever it was Drew had because I became majorly sick for a time being and then we had exams."

"Yeah the senior that got to leave us pitiful juniors behind for another year of torture," Sarah elbowed her.

Cassie just shrugged. "Hey, I can't help that I'll a year older than you two. Let's go."

They headed for a local hangout that had always been popular among the adults in town.

"I think someone is looking at you," Sally teased Cassie as she discreetly tipped her head in the direction of a very handsome gentlemen.

"Well, maybe I should go talk to him then." Cassie got up leaving Sarah and Sally alone.

"She always did seem to have the guys falling at her feet."

"Yeah, she did," Sarah agreed as the guy led Cassie out on the floor for a dance.

The two looked amazing out on the dance floor as the guy spun and twirled her around.

But about halfway through the second dance, Cassie tore out of his grip flying towards them, her hand over her mouth.

"What's wrong," Sarah asked alarmed by Cassie's behavior. The guy trailed behind her asking the same question.

"I think I am going to be sick." She grabbed her purse running towards the ladies' room. Sarah was on her heels trailed by closely by Sally.

It was a one toilet bathroom. Cassie had barely gotten to the bowl when she started retching her guts out.

Sarah grabbed her hair for her while Sally shut and locked the door.

Standing behind Cassie, she did not see it coming until it was too late. An object knocked Cassie on the back of her head knocking the woman out cold, head face down in the toilet seat.

Sarah jumped in alarm, her mouth dropping open. She whirled to stare in disbelief at Sally, hands raised to defend herself if need be.

"I knew that poison in her soup would do the trick." Sally had the wickedest grin on her face that Sarah had ever seen, a grin that just did not seem to fit her innocent features. "I only had to wait for it to take effect."

"Why?"

"Because I require your presence. You will be coming with me." The woman's grin became even more evil as her appearance changed in a fair-skinned woman with wavy dark locks as raven black as Cassie's, a look that more suited the malevolence she wore. "I am Cassandra."

She had heard that name before. "Cassandra as in…," Sarah knew she had to tread on thin ice and therefore was being extremely careful with her words, "…of the Underground?"

"Yes."

Sarah had to get out of this somehow. "You do realize I havn't had any contact with him since that time."

"I realize that, but it does not matter."

Sarah glanced over at her friend passed out over the porcelain stall. "What about Cassie?"

Cassandra looked down her nose at the other woman. "She will be fine. You don't think you met her by chance today, do you? That was my doing. I knew if I got you together with an old friend and then ran into you myself, you would not be able to resist hanging out with them both for old times' sake. Now let's go."

Cassandra snatched ahold of her arm taking Sarah to her dark fortress.

However, after taking her there, Sarah could not say a bad word about her other than keeping her there against her will and not letting her go. She saw to Sarah's every need and asked nothing of Sarah in return. Sarah could not figure out why Cassandra had brought her here. The only thing she knew is that it had to have something to do with Jareth. Everything they discussed always lead back to him.

"Good day Sarah."

Sarah looked up from a book she was reading as Cassandra entered the room. "And how are you today?"

"Ready to go home as always," Sarah gave a snarky reply just as she always did to that same question Cassandra asked her every day.

Cassandra just smiled at her. "Not quite yet.

Closing the book, Sarah laid it on the table. "Why do you keep me here? You never do answer my question. I think it is about time that you can at least tell me that."

"Oh, I thought I had." The woman sat down across from her. "To protect you from him of course."

"I can't believe that, not after what you did Cassie." Sarah had no question in her mind that the woman was not being honest.

"I do admit that I went about that all wrong and I hope you will forgive me for that, but you see…," she swung an arm around her, "this is the only place protected from Jareth. He cannot see within my place and he stands very little chance of being able to enter my walls."

Sarah narrowed her eyes. "But he has left me alone so why do I need protection?"

"You think Jareth has completely stayed away?" Cassandra leaned forward pressing her hand down on the arms of Sarah's chair. "The man you met in the supermarket, the one with the white-blond hair, who do you think that was? I'll tell you. It was Jareth. He has been following you around for years just waiting for his chance to finally win. Jareth cannot lose and, well, when you beat him, you became his ultimate challenge."

Sarah's eyes grew wide. She had not thought about it. That man had seemed to go out of his way to speak to her and introduce himself. He had even asked her out on a date, but Sarah, somewhat creeped out by him, had turned him down. Now she wondered if she had instinctively sensed something, such as the man being Jareth in disguise.

"How do I know you are telling me the truth?"

"Now what reason would I have to lie to you?"

Sarah could not stand her innocent act anymore than she could stand Jareth's pompous attitude. "Trapped in your castle for one and you obviously have something against Jareth for the second."

Sarah pushed backwards as Cassandra reached out a hand towards her stroking the side of her face. "Just that he once hurt me just like he has hurt you and I do not want you to endure anymore of that pain. Therefore, once I figure out how to better protect you, I will let you go. I thought I had stopped him in the past, but when I realized my mistake, I had to come back to help you again." She dropped her hand. "But I will admit that I am not a kind woman. I never have been, but that is because of him. He has done this to me and he will do it to you too."

Tears slid down the woman face as she rose running from the room.

"Wait," Sarah called out. She felt bad for having made the woman cry. Had she not been nothing but nice to her since bringing her here? But she had to wonder if those tears had been real. She did not doubt that Jareth may have indeed hurt the woman before but the woman's way of being overly nice to her all the time caused her enough discomfort to question anything the woman did.


	8. Chapter 8

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Chapter 8

Having gotten past the guards unseen, Jareth crept around corners through the shadows of the flickering torches until he came upon her. At seeing the black haired witch he stayed his distance following her around the castle until she ducked into a room.

There, he thought. Sarah was within that room. And so he waited, waited until he saw Cassandra race from the room. Something he saw as particular until she straightened wiping tears from her eyes with a malicious smirk as she walked away.

He did not know what exactly Cassandra was up to but he did not like it. Crocodile tears for Sarah's sake surely couldn't mean anything good.

Carefully listening for the sounds of any footsteps, he crossed to the door easing it open.

Sarah jumped up in an apologetic motion. "Oh, I'm sorry for earlier."

"Don't be." Jareth closed the door behind him as Sarah fell back into the chair.

"It's you."

"I did not hesitate once I knew you were here. Now let's go." Jareth marched hurriedly over to the chair to searching for her hand to usher her out.

Sarah yanked her hand out of his reach. "Why should I go with you?" She did not trust Jareth anymore than she trusted Cassandra. How could she? She had learned a long time ago because of Jareth and his labyrinth that things were not always as obvious as they seemed. She needed to escape from this place and Cassandra, but to what extent? To possibly be trapped into whatever Jareth may have planned for her?

"I came to get you out of here."

"And to what end? How do I know you will not do worst to me? You have in the past. You always treated me badly. At least Cassandra is nice to me."

His voice was solemn as he spoke. "Yes I have, haven't I? Well, do not be fooled by her either. It is all just an act to gain your trust."

"Well that has not worked. I don't trust her and I don't trust you!"

"At least have enough conviction in my words, which you cannot deny that I have always honored, to get you out of here so you can go home. You are being a fool if you will not." A judgmental scowl disapproved of her actions. At the moment, he was really tempted to just sling her over his shoulder and carry her out by force if he had too. "It is a pity to give up a chance at freedom for absolute imprisonment."

Sarah stood up. "Maybe so, but how do I know you will let me go home. Cassandra claims that this is all about you wanting to best me since you were not able to before and that you have been at this all along. That you have never stopped. So you see, I cannot trust that you are not trying to lead me into something just as bad or worse. Here, I am just trapped, but with you…" She shook her head.

Finally beyond frustration he grabbed her arm. "Look Sarah, I have not and she is lying to you. I have no way of proving to you that I will do as I say. I deserve your distrust but your brother who called upon me to find you does not. He, Hoggle, and Ludo are waiting outside."

"He is?" Shocked at the knowledge, she was struck with disbelief that her brother would have taken such steps, but that disbelief soon turned to anger of Jareth allowing him into this mess. "You let him come here and put his own life in danger!" Furiously, she shoved her hands against him trying to push him away from her, wanting to do worst to him.

"Only to keep him safe from doing something reckless like calling on Cassandra herself," he growled in aggravation. He saw as some of the anger died from Sarah at the thought of her brother doing so.

"Now let's go." He thrust his hand impatiently towards the door. "Ludo will start an attack within a few minutes so we can get out of here."

Her eyes narrowed in continued speculation of Jareth himself. "And why do you not just use your magic?"

He rolled his at having to justify everything to her. "I would but Cassandra has her place spelled so I cannot. Now, no more objections. You are coming with me and that is final." He went to drag her out by the arm knowing they couldn't afford any more delay.

Sarah managed to stand her ground by kicking Jareth in the shin wondering how he thought he would make her without a fight if she refused to. For how was she to even trust that her brother and the others were out there? "I will go with you but only if you answer me one question truthfully."

He observed her for a moment rubbing his leg in the process. "Fine, but hurry and then you will come along without being difficult."

"What did you do to Cassandra?"

He dropped her arm as lines of confusion appeared on his forehead. "What are you talking about? I have done nothing to her."

"She indicated that you hurt her in some way."

He shook his head expressing through gritted teeth, his mind flashing to the only thing he could even think of and he was not even to blame for that, "It was an act. I told you as much. I have never done anything to her other then threaten her to leave you alone."

"Oh, but you know that is not true."

Jareth turned at her voice. "Cassandra," he snarled.

"Let Sarah go and I will give you whatever it is you are after."

Instead of answering Jareth, Cassandra turned to her, "Sarah please have a seat." Sarah did not know why, but she felt compelled, almost pushed, to do as she was asked.

"What is it you want Cassandra?"

Cassandra smiled as she came towards him. "Oh, I just do not want you to hurt Sarah like you have hurt me."

"How have I hurt you Cassandra?" Jareth's face showed no recognition, even though he knew of what she had to be referring to.

Sarah watched as the raven-hair beauty swept towards him. "By ignoring me Jareth. All these years of trying to get your attention and you continue to pay me none." Taken aback by the sight of it, Sarah watched as Cassandra pouted like a little girl not getting her way.

Jareth scoffed at her. Her words were far from what he had expected them to be. "Come on Cassandra you can do better than that. You never had an interest in me. What is this really about? My kingdom? As you said before that is the only thing I have that you don't."

"Oh, it's not the only thing Jareth." Cassandra laid her hand against Jareth's chest. "You captured my heart years ago, but were too cold to ever notice." She turned accusing eyes on Sarah. "To notice anyone except her, some puny mortal girl."

Sarah shrank back in her chair. So all this was about jealously. Why didn't she just leave with Jareth when she had the chance? "But I don't want Jareth."

"No but he wants you." Cassandra did not seem angry just sad and discontented that she could not have something she longed for.

"No I don't," his voice quietly said. Sarah's eyes went to him just as Cassandra's did. She could hardly believe it. She had been dragged into this when he did not even have an interest in her. She almost felt betrayed by him. But why should she? Jareth did not drag her into this, not this time at least. And why should it matter to her if he was interested in her or not? She didn't want him.

He smiled at Cassandra. "I never did, not in that way. She is just a child compared to us, Cassandra. My interest in her revolved around other things such as the boy. I wanted him for my heir. But there is no need for him now."

Outrage burned through her! "You slime! You used me to get Toby! That's what all that was about!" Sarah jumped out of the seat just to have him push her back down into it like she was nothing.

"Seat down child. No one spoke to you."

"I am not a child!" As a woman already in her thirties, she did not enjoy being referenced as such no matter how ancient this immortal man may be. She was madder than any time in her life she could ever remember, her cheeks blazing with fire at thought of how he had plotted to take Toby all along.

He glared at her. "Silence!"

She glared back but did not say a word, her eyes saying it all with deadly intentions.

Focusing his attention back on Cassandra, he brought her hand up to his mouth to kiss it. "But now that I have you, you can give me that heir. Had I known of your interest sooner, but I never fathomed your intent on me. Send the child home for she has served her purpose. She brought us together."

While still furious with him, Sarah was relieved to hear the last part although she worried about Toby. If he was it the Underground, would Jareth send him home?

"So she did, but she will serve one more." Cassandra pulled the knife from behind her back. "As proof of your love for me."

At seeing the knife being thrust towards him, his voice was low as a pale-faced Jareth questioned, "How so?"

"To prove you love me, you must prove that she does not mean anything to you. Kill her." The woman thrust the sharp blade into his hands. "Do it and I will know you love me as you say." Her voice was as cold as ice.

Alarm rose in Sarah.

"She is just a child," Jareth dryly reminded her.

Jareth will not do this, Jareth will not do this, Sarah kept telling herself.

The darkness drew over Cassandra's features. "Then you do not love me. Neither of you will leave this castle alive." She curled her fingers upward as fire licked her fingertips.

"Fine, if that is what it takes." He gave a ghostly grin. "You are one cold-hearted woman Cassandra."

As he turned his evil stare to her, Sarah just about screamed. "Jareth, you do not want to do this! Please!"

He slowly advanced towards her, knife in hand, smiling. "But I do Sarah."

"Please!"

"It is too late to beg little girl. Your life is over."

She squirmed back in the seat. He was too near that she would never be able to escape and something was preventing her from moving. She looked up to see Cassandra's evil smile. She was holding her in place for him, magically binding her to the chair.

"Please, don't do this Jareth!"

"But I must. I must prove my love."


	9. Chapter 9

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Chapter 9

He was upon her. He was actually going to kill her!

He did not plunge the knife directly in as she expected. Instead he leaned down over her gently kissed her cheek. Then moving up, he went to whisper something in her ear obviously to taunt her.

"This will hurt. Scream then go limp," he hissed in her ear.

She had no time to even question what had been said to her. The knife cut into the flesh at her abdomen. She screamed in pain grabbing for her stomach seeing the blood on her hands.

Looking up into Jareth's eyes, she realized what he had done before her eyes closed, her hands falling lightly over her middle as her body slumped down in the chair, her head hanging limp.

Seeing her in that position with her gut bleeding, he could not believe he had done it.

"Very good Jareth." Cassandra walked up behind him laying a hand on his shoulder. "You just killed the only woman you ever loved." She laughed haughtily at him.

He turned around driving the knife into her flesh. "No I didn't! But I will kill you!" He twisted the knife watching as her hands wrapped around the hilt of the knife clutching at it before falling to the ground.

With Cassandra no longer a threat his attention returned to the one who he hoped still lived.

"Sarah," he called. Relief only came when she at last opened her eyes. "Are you okay? Can you walk?"

"I think so." She stood up, the front of her dress showing an ever enlarging bloom of red, bringing grave concern to him. He hoped he had not cut her too deeply, but he had no choice. He had needed to lure Cassandra in to save Sarah.

"Let me carry you."

"No," she pushed his hands away, "It would only slow us down."

"Then something will be required to wrap around your middle to keep the blood." He looked around the room. He saw the large tie-backs for the curtains. He yanked one off the wall. It was long enough and wide enough to serve Sarah as a belt. Coming back to her, he wrapped it around her waist once before bringing the ends back up front to tie them snuggly off.

"Let's go," Sarah urged him.

"I want to make certain that is tight enough to prevent too much blood loss. There," he said with one final tug on the new belting.

"Guards," screamed out Cassandra. So she still lived. He didn't have time. He would have to finish the job later.

Jareth grabbed Sarah's hand. "We have to hurry."

Running out the door the place was in chaos. People scurried about everywhere paying them no heed in the two cloaks for disguises that they wore, which Jareth had obtained before finding her.

"I think the attack has begun." Jareth grinned conspiratorially at her. "Let's go."

They made their way along the passages to the outside as Jareth kept a close eye on Sarah's condition. He was afraid that she would be too stubborn to tell him if she was getting worst or needed extra help from him. Opening the outside door, he noticed how pale she appeared.

"Sarah, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Worrying about me is only slowing us down."

Jareth frowned before conceding with a nod.

Soon they would be out of here and then she could rest is what he told himself. She would be fine.

"You see that rock over there." He pointed to the boulder he had hidden behind earlier. "When I say to, run for it and get behind it." He just hoped that Ludo would not move it, but it was huge enough that he felt safe that giant beast would not.

He watched until he saw an opening. "Go!" He shoved her ahead of him, ready to protect her at a moment's notice.

She was panting heavily by the time they made it to the rock. "Just a little farther to go and we will be to the ravine where your brother and friends are hiding. I can use my magic from there."

"Soundssss….gooooooddd," she slurred.

"Sarah?" Dread clutched his heart as he observed at her chalky whiteness, eyes glazing over.

Her eyes fell shut. Jareth moved fast thrust his hand beneath her catching her body in his arms. She was cold…so cold. He cursed himself as he picked her up cradling her close to his chest. He would have to hurry.

Making sure to take a path where he would not be seen, he moved without haste down the trail traveling with more speed than humanly capable.

When he arrived out of breath, he noticed the men fighting off Ludo's rock while trying to attack Hoggle and Toby. This had all gone terribly wrong. With much difficulty, he shoved his hand out flinging the men away. "We go."

"Is that her?"

Toby's question forced him to look over his shoulder to see Cassandra standing on her balcony scowling with hatred down at them.

"Yes, but we have to go." Cassandra seeing Toby would make things worse. This was far from over and now Cassandra would figure out that the boy was Toby making it just as unsafe for him as for Sarah.

Toby raced up to him. "Sarah, what happened? She will be okay?" Jareth could tell that the boy was scared for his sister, but did not have time to be reassuring.

"Not if we do not get out of here."

They disappeared from the site as Jareth magically transported them all to a bedroom in his castle. He laid Sarah down on the bed. "Hoggle, run and get bandages, something to clean this with, and scissors."

As Hoggle raced from the room, Toby again questioned, "What happened?"

Jareth shook his head. "I never want to discuss it."

"But…"

He glared up at the boy, angry at himself for letting this happen. "But nothing."

Hoggle flew back into the room. "Here, here."

Jareth grabbed the scissors from him cutting the make-shift wrap in pieces before peeling back both sections. He then ripped apart her dress exposing the wound for all to see. Ludo wailed in misery.

"If that beast is not shut up, then he will be leaving!"

Jareth turned an expectant glare on Hoggle.

"Ludo, you are not helping Sarah. Be quiet," the dwarf admonished the beast getting him quiet.

Jareth dripped a rag into the warm water to wipe Sarah's midsection clean. The water in the bowl reddened with blood turning into a crimson color by the time Jareth was through. He applied the antiseptic to prevent infection before fixing fresh bandages over the wound.

"There. The rest is up to you," he told her as he felt her hot forehead. He hoped no infection had already set in.

He sat down in a chair pushed back in the corner. Hidden in the shadows of the flaming fireplace, he brooded over what he had done. The entire time Sarah slept, no one left her side. And when word reached Sir Didymus of what had occurred, he arrived at the castle full of concern for the 'fair lady' that was his friend.

And so they sat and waited, Jareth never saying a word refusing to speak to anyone. His selfish nature wanted to order them out. But he did not. They cared as much for Sarah as he did. Besides, it was Toby, who her brother, that was the only person who really held any right to ask the others to leave.

So he sat there feeling the guilt of their silent questions that he would not answer. He would catch a quick glance in his direction before the one looking at him would abruptly turned away the moment the being staring saw him glare upwards. He knew his silence told them what he would not. That Sarah's condition was all his fault. And he hated himself for it. His only wish was that Sarah would be okay.


	10. Chapter 10

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Chapter 10

"Sarah?" Toby's voice sounded unsure, hesitant. The boy sat beside his sister holding her hand.

At hearing the boy, Jareth hoped. He watched desperately as Sarah's eyelids slowly drifted opened allowing him to at last feel some relief.

She looked around disoriented.

"Toby? Where am I?"

"You're in Jareth's castle," his voice was soft and comforting, "You're safe."

"Jareth's castle?"

"Yes."

Jareth stood up advancing from the shadow.

He walked towards the bed, wanting to be by her side, but the shame of what he had done plagued him. He never missed a step as his feet altered in course. Making an evasive move out the door, he fled from her.

"Jareth," he heard as Sarah meekly called after him.

He did not answer as he stopped unseen just outside the door. He could not face her, yet he could not leave her.

"How are you feeling," he heard Toby ask from where he stood beside the doorway.

"Sore," she answered him.

For a short while, Sarah was surrounded by relieved words of her condition and assurances from her brother and friends that she would be fine.

Hiding in the shadow outside, he knew he should be in there with them telling her the same thing for he was beyond relieved that she was okay. He had felt his heart leap with a joy he rarely felt when her eyes had finally opened.

Then it came. The dreaded question. "What happened, Sarah," her brother finally questioned once again. Jareth already knew he would after he had refused to answer the boy and he knew what Sarah would have to tell him.

Jareth felt his heart pound with anxiety as he waited to hear those hateful words. She would tell them the truth. She would tell them that he had done it only to save her life, but that did not matter to him. He had done it. And he hated himself for it. And certainly so would they, more so than they already did. He had put Sarah's life at risk.

"Jareth hasn't told you?"

"No," Hoggle said, "He hasn't spoken a word since bandaging you up."

"When I asked, he refused to discuss it," Toby added.

Her voice came, "Blame Cassandra. It was her doing."

Jareth knew in a way she was right, but he waited for her to reveal the rest. It took him awhile to realize that it was not to come.

"Please, would all of you give me a moment and Hoggle, would you find Jareth and ask him to come back in?"

At hearing her request, he felt the need within himself to oblige her. He walked back around to the open entryway.

"I never left."

She nodded in understanding of his pain and reason for stepping out. Looking around, she urged the others, "Give us a few moments."

Before the boy could leave, he glanced at Toby, "Do not leave the castle."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, dangers untold…"

"Including Cassandra," he gave warning to the insolent boy as the lad walked out of the room.

"Toby, do as he says," Sarah called out with after her younger brother with worried command of a loved one.

Leaning back around, he informed his sister, "Like I'm planning on leaving you for too long after what just happened. Come on sis. Give me more credit than that."

He disappeared pulling the door as he went. Jareth admired how the boy, who tried to put on a tough exterior, cared about his sister. It reminded him some of a teenage girl who a once wished her brother away and then fought harder than she had done anything in her life to get him back.

Only once the door was closed behind him did Jareth ask, "Why didn't you tell them?"

"Because I see no need to. They know what they need to know. That Cassandra was to blame and she is." Her eyes were so sincere; they were killing him in that Sarah truly held no fault against him.

They only fueled his anger towards himself, making him put on his normal cold, stern defenses as he spoke to her.

"But I am to blame. I was the one who did it, not Cassandra." He motioned to her. "It was by my hand that you lay there."

"Jareth, please come here." She reached a hand out to him. She was so helpless reaching out to him that he went to her. She grasped his hand to her. "You made the only decision you could to save our lives. You should not blame yourself like that."

The bitterness burned in him. "The others would and so do I."

She sighed, "I understand why you do, but don't. And the others were not there. They would not understand. We were. We both know that you never had another choice."

"Then you never plan on telling them," was all he asked, his voice distant…detached.

She looked him firmly in the eye, "No."

"But that does not change what I did."

She pressed his hand. "Or that you saved me. I will be fine."

"No thanks to me," he said coldly before taking his hand from hers, heading straight for the door.

"Jareth…"

He continued to walk out the door. He could not continue to stand there while she persisted on not blaming him. It was his fault. He firmly believed and accepted it. Why couldn't she?

He stopped, glaring at those waiting outside. "Unless her health takes a turn for the worse do not under any circumstances summon me." His boots pounded the floor proceeding down the hallway with ferocity in his every step.

"Jareth," Sarah beckoned once more even though he had already gone out the door.

The man was so cold she thought. But she knew he was hurting. Hurting because he believed this was all his fault, which it wasn't, at least not to her. He had gotten her out of there. That was what was important. Cassandra would have killed her or have had her killed. Jareth had saved her.

And even through her own pain, she had heard what Cassandra had said to him. 'You just killed the only woman you ever loved.' It echoed in her mind. Had it been true?

If so, there was no telling how deeply Jareth was hurting.

"Sarah, is everything okay?" She peered up to see her brother looking at her out of concern.

She shook her head. "Not really, but there is nothing that can be done about it. Or at least nothing we can do about it."

She turned her head away. "I'm tired. I need to rest."

He nodded. "I won't be far."

"If you need us…," her friends started.

A weak smile lit her face. "I'll call."

Jareth stood staring out the window when the boy stepped into the room.

"I thought I told you not to disturb me."

"You also told me not to leave the castle grounds," the boy replied tersely.

"And?" Jareth was becoming highly impatient with the boy's impudence towards him. He really needed to let the boy know that if it was not for his sister that he would not tolerate such disregard for manners towards him in his own castle regardless of how he felt about him. He would, but later when the time better suited him.

"Sarah's resting."

"Good."

"I do not want to disturb her while she sleeps. I need somewhere to be for now."

He nodded. "Hogpog." Although the dwarf had not said anything he knew that he was there with the boy for how else would he be able to find his way to him?

"Yes."

"Show Toby to one of the guest rooms. Tell Gerda to see to his needs."

"Yes, your majesty."

Before they could leave, Jareth inquired, "So she is still fairing okay?"

"As well as could be expected considering," Toby answered, irritation in his voice. "And look, I do not know what was said between you two but it upset her. You could at least be a little nicer to her." He could hear the grating undertone of the teen's dislike for his way.

Slowly turning from the window, he glared at the boy. He realized that the youth was not aware of the nature of what had happened, but he hated being admonished for it when he had done nothing wrong. He had only refused to let Sarah alleviate him of his responsibility.

"Do not presume to tell me what to do boy. This is my castle and my land. Do not forget it." Turning his back on Toby, he added, "Besides, I said nothing hurtful to her."

"But…"

"Go."

Hoggle tugged Toby's hand. "We had better."

Jareth stood there thinking about what Toby had said. Maybe he had been a little harsh with Sarah. He could at least let her think he could forgive himself if it made her feel better. She had already been through enough because of him.

Upon opening her eyes, she found Jareth staring into the fireplace in deep thought over some matter, probably what they had disagreed about earlier she automatically assumed with upmost certainty.

"Jareth?"

He walked with a slow measured pace to the side of the bed, sliding into the chair. Sarah had always wondered where he had acquired such grace. It was almost unnatural.

"How are you feeling Sarah?"

"All right, I guess."

His eyebrow arched just a little. "Are you sure? I could have some medicine sent up if you are in pain."

She shook her head. "That won't be necessary."

Silence fell.

Forcing herself to meet his eyes, she questioned, "How long have you been waiting?"

A nearly awkward grin, which seemed out of place for him, was given to her. "Shortly after your brother told me you were resting."

"Why?" She looked at him out of confusion. "Why wait so long? You knew it would probably be awhile until I awoke."

He shrugged. "It did not matter. Your brother told me you were upset by our disagreement earlier."

"I do not see any need of rehashing it all over again. I doubt the end result will be any different." Her gaze went from him to the wall. She did not want to bring this up again. Jareth was too stubborn to listen to her, so why even discuss it?

"We do not need to. I have been thinking that maybe this time you are right, at least in part."

Astonishment forced her to snap her hear back in his direction. "What?!" Did she just hear what she had thought coming out of his mouth? Had he just admitted that maybe she had been right? Which meant that he had been at least partially wrong?

His mismatched eyes stared seriously with just a hint of compassion into hers. "While maybe there could have been another way, what I did was the only option I saw at the time. And it did work. It got us both out of there alive. Therefore, while I'll still claim responsibility, I will look at the end result."

She smiled with general relief at him. It made her feel better that he would not go about moping over what had happened. "I'm glad you see it that way. You should. It will help you. I still feel much blame for what I did to Toby, but in the end I had to look at it that I was able to get him back."

"That you did," he sighed before standing up. Tilting his head down to her, he inquired, "Would care for something to eat? I am not certain when the last time is that Cassandra provided you with food, but you should eat something to keep your strength up."

Feeling the weakness in her muscles and the nagging gnawing in her stomach, she agreed, "Yes, I think I will." She drew her legs out from under the covers throwing them over the side. "Then, Toby and I must head home."

She could see him react to her actions as he stiffened. "You do not need to get up. I can have something brought to you."

"No," she insisted, "I have been in this bed long enough."

She could see the hint of the smile on his face as he tilted his head. "Then I will have a table sat for the three of us."

"You will be joining us?" She was taken by surprise that he would, which weirdly enough seemed to amuse him. He laughed, his eyes twinkling at her.

It was the first time she had ever seen him laugh out of real, good-hearted delight. "Of course! I shall not have dinner guests in my castle without joining them."

Heading for the door he told her, "I'll send your brother to keep you company until then." He would also take the opportunity as he did so to speak to the boy about his manners.

With his hand on the side of the door, he looked back with not quite a smirk. "Conserve your energy by at least sitting back down. And there is no need to look so," he remarked before closing the door behind him.

Sarah realized at that moment that her mouth stood agape. She had been struck silly by the oddness of his behavior. She had not even realized she had been staring so.

Feeling stupid, she laughed through her nose as she fell back on the bed.

Less than an hour later the three sat at a table finishing their meal. To Sarah's utter astonishment, Jareth was the most considerate host. Much to Sarah's relief and upmost gratitude, he had ordered a dress sent to her room, since her old things had been stained with her blood and ripped opened. She flushed with embarrassment at thinking how exposed she had been to Jareth. She knew he had not been thinking of that when he had tore her dress opened, but the knowledge did nothing to extinguish the flame in her cheeks at thinking of it.

When he had arrived at her door, he had knocked waiting for Toby to open the door. He had pleasantly greeted both of them asking if they were ready. He had proceeded to take Sarah's arm in escorting them to the dining room. And then at dinner, he had amicably kept the conversation going by asking endless questions about their current lives.

"I am certain there is some young lady you must have your eye on," Jareth teasingly harassed the boy making Toby redden.

Sipping the goblet of sweet fruit nectar, Sarah smiled at her brother's reaction. "I know there is but I don't know her name. Some cute little blond he was chatting with one day I went to pick him up from school for our dad."

Toby drew up his lips glaring at his sister. "Well at least I don't plan on spending most of my weekends at home."

Sarah cut him a glare back. It had been her fault for antagonizing her brother, but that information was not something she wanted Jareth to know. Her love life, or lack thereof one, was her business, not his.

He looked at her peculiarly before dismissing the comment. "And I am certain your sister does not tell you everything. Women more often than not do not discuss their suitors with their little brothers."

Sarah just nodded embarrassed by the whole topic especially to have Jareth unknowingly defend her like that considering the information about his possible true interest in her she was still trying to sort out in her mind, which she was not sure was even achievable.

After exhausting the discussion about their lives, Jareth entertained them with stories about the labyrinth such as how one of the creatures who had tried to take off Sarah's head had lost his for over a week before finally finding it hidden in the darkness of a cave which is why he could not see where he was. Jareth laughed at how the others of his kind had taunted him over literally losing his head.

"After what they tried to do to me, he deserved it!" Sarah still woke up to nightmares of them trying to remove her head and then playing a game of kickball with it.

The slight glint in his eye as Jareth agreed, "It does serve him right," made Sarah wonder if he had something to do with it.

Propping her elbows on the table, Sarah leaned forth. "I suppose it is time for Toby and I to head back. I know our parents are already worried about me and now to have you missing, they must be going crazy." Not that she entirely wanted to leave yet. Deep within her, she had always wanted to come back to the Underground just to see it again and here she was in Jareth's castle enjoying herself with the very Goblin King himself.

And even though she had dearly missed her friends and family and was beyond eager to be reunited with them, she was far from ready to try to come up with an explanation of what had happened to her and then her brother. She certainly could not tell them about all this. What would she tell them? What could she tell them that would even make sense? That she had somehow hit her head getting amnesia?

Toby scooted his chair back. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He clearly was not quite ready to leave either to face the onslaught they were sure to encounter at home.

As Sarah went to stand, Jareth's voice came out slow and steady as if he was pronouncing a courtroom sentence. "You cannot leave."

Sarah's blood went cold. "What did you just say?" The heat of rage tore through her. Her eyes were that of green fire.

Jareth did not even budge as he unblinkingly looked her in the eye. He knew he should have told her earlier, but they had been getting along so well that he just couldn't. And now he had no choice.

"You cannot leave."

"Why not," she demanded, "You cannot keep me here? You have no…"

"Don't," he commanded, "That will not work this time." He just hoped that she did not try to call his bluff. If she did then he would be forced to take her home. And that would come to no good.

"But…" She would never admit it, but he could tell that she was about to cry.

"But nothing," he said calmly although it was literally tearing him up inside to see her in such a state. What was it about this girl, now a woman, which always got to him? It was something about the way those eyes of hers looked not at him but into him.

"You cannot go. Cassandra would find you."

He saw the realization flicker in her eyes as she slumped down in her chair. "She would, wouldn't she?"

"Yes and she will not stop. You must stay here until I can deal with her." Jareth knew he would have to kill Cassandra. That would be the only way she would be stopped. And to do that would take some time and a lot of planning on his part. Cassandra was sure not to leave her fortress, the one place protected against him.

Sarah finally nodded. "I will stay then." She looked at Toby who was now standing at her shoulder.

"At least send Toby home. She does not know him. He should be safe."

"No…," Toby started.

Jareth slowly shook his head. "You had already passed out but she saw him outside after we escaped. It won't take her long to figure out who he is."

She hung her head in her hands. "Not after what was said it won't." She sighed, "So he's not safe either."

Toby looked glum-faced at his sister, not knowing what to do or say.

Jareth could see that she was trying to hide the tears as they glistened down her face. "Sarah."

She just shook her head. "Not now please."

He felt his heart break for her. He went to reach for her hand but stopped himself afraid to make things worse. "Sarah, look at me for just a moment please."

When she did, she could no longer hide the tears as they streamed down her face. "What? What else is there to say? My stupid wish all those years ago did this. Again I have put my brother in danger."

"No," he vehemently stated grabbing her hand against his better judgment. She tried to pull away but he held on tight. "You told me that I had to quit blaming myself earlier, now don't you start. It does no good and I was as much part of what occurred and so were my goblins. And there is more to say." He stared directly into her eyes wanting to take the pain and misery from them. "Your brother was never actually in danger the first time and neither were you…"

He could see Sarah open her mouth to ask why. He held up a finger for now was not the time. "And you need not worry now. I will take care of Cassandra and once I do I will personally take both you and your brother safely home. You have my word."

Sarah stared at Jareth. She could not help but to be moved by such a passionate declaration. She had been so upset to find out that both her and her brother were stuck here because of the danger that Cassandra presented to them both, but now after what Jareth had just declared, she felt everything would actually be okay. He would stand by his word. She knew he would. He would stop Cassandra and then take them home.

"Thank you," she said in a voice that was almost a whisper wiping tears away from her cheek.

He nodded giving her hand a light squeeze. "Maybe you should go rest."

"Yes." She struggled to stand up. "I am feeling tired again."

"Here." Toby offered himself as support for her to lean on. "I'll walk you back."

"Rest well," Jareth told her. "I'll check on you later."

He was looking at her but he wasn't. His eyes seem to be looking right through her as if his mind was somewhere else already and she figured he must be thinking about Cassandra, about how to remove her from being an issue.

Toby had her almost to the door when her main reason for getting back home came crashing back.

"Wait!" She spun around and would have fallen if Toby had not grabbed her.

In the same moment, Jareth was out of his seat.

"Are you okay?" He came to her offering his own hands in addition to Toby's. She could see the patient concern in his actions even with that air of authority that seem to always surround him. "You should not try to move so fast right now." The light scolding annoyed her. Some things about Jareth never changed.

"Sarah," Toby questioned.

"I'm okay," she insisted.

"Then what is it?" Jareth stood there, a slight scowl of concern still marring his features.

"Our parents." She looked desperately into Jareth's eyes. This was once that she did not care if she looked like the desperate child he probably remembered her to be. "I know we cannot go home, but what about them? I am certain you don't have any idea when we can go home and they will worry. How will it be for them thinking the worst has happened to us? It is not fair for them. Is there any way to at least contact them?"

Jareth frowned at her. "They are safer if you don't. Otherwise Cassandra may try to use them."

"No…" She could feel Toby's grip tighten in his own worry.

"I do not think she will but I will have someone keep an eye on them just like I did with Hoggle and you before."

This gave her some relief. "Good, but what about how they will worry? Isn't there something we could do?"

His frowned deepened. "You will not like it." The tone of his voice scared her.

"What?"

"Remember the peach."

How could she forget? She hadn't eaten one since. She nodded. "I do."

She could see the Goblin King glance at her brother wondering if he knew. "He doesn't."

Jareth looked back at her as she told her brother, "It made me forget that I was here searching for you."

"So you propose to give each of our parents one? To make them forget about us?" She could tell that her brother did not like the idea anymore than she did.

"As Sarah can vouch for, it is only temporarily and it is the only way unless you want to bring them here and completely disrupt their lives, which would probably make them worry more."

Sarah bit her lip. She knew he was right. "But when I ate the peach, it was like I was in some state of delusion. All I remember is dreaming about some masquerade ball…," her voice trailed off as the mention of that ball brought to mind the memory of that dream, of dancing with Jareth himself, and then later of that kiss from a still unidentified masked man during her play centered around a masquerade. "…and then waking up in a junkyard where all I knew was that I was looking for something until finally I remembered."

She met his eyes. "I do not know if something like that is worth taking away their worry and fears."

"It will not be the same," he promised, "You were in the Underground and the peach was meant to serve as a distraction. For your parents, it will only serve as a block to push you and your brother temporarily out of their minds."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. None of them will know any difference. They will just not think about you for now. Then, once this is all over, the moment they see you they will not even recall you have been missing."

"Okay then. That should be fine. When are you going to do this?" The less worry their parents had to go through the better. Toby had already told her that while she was missing, they had also called her mother to see if she had heard from Sarah.

"It will be taken care of tonight." He gave her a reassuring smile. "Go rest. Everything will be fine." And again she believed him, which comforted her. Despite everything, Jareth did seem to look after her no matter what.

She turned back to her brother. "I'm ready now."

Jareth watched them leave the room before returning to his chair. He let out a breath. He always felt like he was walking on eggshells around her.

And now he had to plan, plan on how to get close enough to Cassandra to end her life. He knew he would have to first figure out some way to lure her out into the open and he needed her to fight on his terms. He would make her fight on his terms. He just had to figure out how.

But for now he had another task. He stood up to travel to the other world. He needed his spell cast on something Sarah's family members would be sure to eat. And for his own reasons of its special connection to Sarah, he hoped whatever food he would need to use would not include peaches. He never ate one anymore without thinking of her.

It had staggered him, almost dismayed him to discover that Sarah did not realize that the dance had been real. They had actually danced together. Even then he had been tempted to kiss her, the way those beautiful green eyes had stared innocently up at him asking without asking 'Why am I here? What is happening?'

He had been so disappointed when that clock had chimed without warning causing Sarah to run off. But he knew why she had run. It wasn't just about Toby. She had been afraid of him. Toby said she had not feared him, but the boy did not know just how wrong he was. Sarah had been afraid, but not quite in the way Toby had meant.

Before leaving a dark thought occurred to him. Maybe he should not worry about Cassandra too much. While he would eventually figure out a plan to get rid of her, for now both Sarah and Toby were safe for Cassandra would not dare come near his castle.

And the longer it took him, the longer Sarah would have to remain here… in his castle … with him …an idea that while he knew it to be wrong, he could not deny the tempting nature of it.


	11. Chapter 11

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Chapter 11

Morning came waking up a stiff and sore Sarah. Still a bit disoriented from everything that had happened she looked around the unfamiliar room. It had taken her long enough to get use to waking up in her prison in Cassandra's place, a room that was among the finest she had ever seen but a prison nevertheless. Now to be in another strange room had her more than longing to go home. She missed her tiny apartment with its cozy, little bedroom. It was small, but it was hers.

And while this room Jareth had put her in was equally as grand as Cassandra's, it did not change the fact that she still was not home and still stuck in the Underground. And now Toby was stuck here too.

As gloomy as the situation made her, at least, she thought, I am no longer Cassandra's prisoner. But in a way she was as well as her brother. Jareth had said they would remain safe from her as long as they did not leave the castle grounds for his castle was similarly protected from Cassandra just as hers was protected from him. Therefore, she was still a prisoner of hers, just in another location away from Cassandra. She was now imprisoned for her own protection in Jareth's castle.

A knock came at the door. Rising from the bed, she eased the heavy wooden barrier open. A little brownish-green goblin stood there, her arms loaded down with masses of rags.

With a giddy grin she dropped them at Sarah's feet. "The king ordered me to bring these to you." With a silly chuckle, the impish goblin ran off. The little goblin's antics brighten Sarah's spirits as she watched her bounce into and off of the walls as she went.

Kneeling down, she looked at what was in the pile wondering why Jareth would have sent her rags. They were not rags but a tangled mess of clothes.

"Oh well, I have to have something to wear." She knew Jareth had not planned to have her here, but to her this was a somewhat ridiculous to have to sort through the junk like this.

She picked up the pile lugging them into the room. She dropped the untidy heap at the end of the bed before trying to sort out the disarray.

Going through them, she discovered that they were not just the gathering of old random clothes she had originally thought, but rather clothes made of finer materials than she had ever worn in her world that had just been jumbled up into a knotted clutter.

Managing to finally pull a simple burgundy sheath dress with short sleeves loose from the inter-tangled fabrics, she chose just to wear it and save the work of untangling the rest for later. After all, she had plenty of time these days for she was certain it would take more than a few days for Jareth to deal with Cassandra.

Slipping off the clothes she had worn to bed, she checked her midsection where Jareth had been forced to cut her. The wrapping was still intact. She peeled it back to peek at the gash. It looked nasty with its dark brown-red stain against her fair skin but at least it did not appear any odd color as she had feared. Putting it back in place, she was relieved that the wound did not seem to be infected, but would probably need a change of dressing later that day.

While she was slipping the new dress over her head she heard another knock at the door.

"Give me a moment, please."

The light material fell loosely over her body falling to her feet. Grabbing a brush off the dresser, she ran it through her hair then went to the door.

She pulled the door back to find Jareth waiting there.

He smiled at her. "I see you received the clothes I sent up. You look lovely." No longer looking at her, he brushed in past her. His brows drew down in question. "What is that?" He pointed to the pile of clothes at the end of the bed.

"The clothes you had sent."

His lips drew together in consternation. "That darn goblin." His voice was laced with irritation. He picked up a piece, its end refusing to come loose from the pile, just to toss it away in disgust. "To have done this. Such a foolish thing she is."

"It is my fault," Sarah claimed. She worried what Jareth might do to the poor creature.

He turned on her, his eyes disbelieving. "No, it wasn't. You do not lie well Sarah." He held up a finger. "Do not try to fool me." He walked to the door gesturing for her to join him. "Let's go to breakfast. I will handle this matter later."

"Jareth…don't." She did not want the funny little creature harmed.

He held out a hand to her. "Do not concern yourself of things that are not your concern. Come."

Her hand hovered just above his. "But she...she is just a little goblin."

He took her hand and led her out of the doorway.

"A goblin who must take responsibility for what she has done."

Sarah planted her feet refusing to move making Jareth stop, forcing him to look at her. "Don't harm her. Please don't."

He silently observed her, his eyes watching her with intense interest. "Such a heart for a creature you do not even know."

He drew the back of his hand lightly down the side of her face. The coolness of the leather glove sent a chill down the back of her spine. "She will not be harmed as you fear. She will only be sent back up to straighten the clothes out. I can be cruel Sarah, but to harm a creature over something as small as that would just be outlandish."

Casting her eyes down in embarrassment that she would jump to such conclusions even though Jareth had given her enough reasons in the past to do so, she murmured, "Oh. I wasn't sure…"

"Neither mind," he told her, "Let's go." He tugged gently on her hand pulling her next to him as he proceeded onward.

"What about Toby," she questioned, "Isn't he joining us?"

She heard the slight gurgle in his throat as he suppressed a laugh. "I'm afraid not. I sent someone to fetch him right before I came to fetch you and he still sleeps."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Some things never change. He would sleep all day if you would let him."

"I think under the circumstances, he deserves it today. He was the one to call upon me leading to your rescue."

"Hmmm…I guess you're right," Sarah agreed. Yesterday had been tough on them all.

He patted her hand. "Oh course I am." Sarah felt scorn at his words. So confident he was almost cocky.

"By the way," he continued, "The rest of your family is doing well with no idea of their missing children."

"So they have forgotten us."

This time it was Jareth that pulled them to a stop at hearing the heartbreak in her voice. "It is only temporarily."

"Yes." But that did not make her feel much better. She knew she was being selfish. Her family was better off not worrying, but to have completely forgotten about her and her brother, no matter the length of time, just did not seem right. Having those people love and care about you along with loving and caring about them is what family is all about and this took part of that away for right now her family did not even know she nor her brother existed.

For Jareth, the morning had already started wrong. First, having a taunting note sent by Cassandra that read, _I am certain she loves you now after stabbing her_. A horrible slap in the face of what he had done. It had angered him to the point that he incinerated the note in the palm of his hand. The use of fire was not the kind of magic that he normally resorted to. It was among the darkest of his magic and it was draining to his soul.

Jareth had no problem using the dark side of his magic when it was necessary, but it brought out a side of himself he hated even more than he normally hated himself. For when he used dark magic, he saw that inner part of himself that was so sinister that he could never escape it even when he avoided the dark arts.

And that had put him in such a state that he had reacted too harshly over that stupid bundle of clothes making Sarah think that he would really hurt that ridiculously clumsily little goblin over something so meaningless. Did she really think that badly of him?

He had given her enough reason in the past to believe he would. He knew she had known for awhile what he had done because of her kiss on Hoggle's cheek, something that she would see as petty jealously because that is what it had been. He had been envious that the dwarf could elicit such affection from the girl without even really trying to while he could not.

He had never meant for Sarah to fall down that chute with Hoggle. That had been purely accidental, but he knew Sarah would never believe it. Why should she?

And now he was indirectly responsible for hurting her yet again. His heart ached at having seen her so distraught over her parents. It made him just want to reach out to hold and comfort her, to take her in his arms and reassure her that it would not be long until she would be reunited with they and all this would be like a horrible nightmare she could put behind her.

Why hadn't he? Why did ever time he had the opportunity to show her that he could be kind and caring and did indeed love her, he could not bring himself to do so? He knew why. He had tried before, he had fulfilled her wishes, he had laid his heart at her feet, and he had kissed her. But every time it had went wrong, she had seen it as something different than what it was. She saw it as him trying to trick and control her. That is why he did not try. He was afraid of making her think worse of him than she already did.

But yesterday, even with as traumatic as those events had been, it had finally been a small step forward for them. Sarah had seen him rescuing her as exactly what it was. That he went in there only to help her, to save her. And that should have shown her that despite everything in the past he did love her as he had always claimed.

It was not until after breakfast was over and they were walking down the stone hallway that Jareth's morning became even worse than he could have thought.

"So how long have you ruled this place anyway?" They had been casually conversing, Sarah asking questions about the kingdom once again. He had gladly answered each one only hedging around the truth at times when he felt like it was better she should not know everything she asked.

"I lost count a long time ago." In fact he hadn't. He knew exactly how long he had ruled, had been cursed by birthright to rule this forsaken land, but he did not want her to know how ancient he was. He was an immortal who had been alive probably longer than Sarah could even trace her family history.

"That long huh?" He saw the little twinkle light her eye as she teased him. The lightness in her mood lifted his own.

He laughed at her jest. "Yes, you cannot even imagine."

"No wonder you think of me as a child."

Jareth stopped as his heart dropped at the significance behind Sarah's words. Had she really believed everything he had said to deter Cassandra before?

Walking in front of her, he placed his hands on her shoulders as he met her eyes. "That was just an act Sarah. Words said for Cassandra's benefit. I did not mean those things I said."

She smiled at him. "Oh, I know that. I was only joking when I said that."

But he could see from the look in her eyes that she had not been. And there was still some uncertainty in her that what he had said had been true.

And there was. Sarah knew that it had been an act for Cassandra. But what she did not know was how much of it had been true. Jareth had made references to thinking of her as a child in the past although most of those had been when she was still a teenager with the exception of the confrontation with Cassandra. And she knew that it should not bother her. So what if Jareth thought of her as a child? But every time she thought of it, it did sting her. It was like a nagging, grating thought for she was not a child. She had not been for a while now. And it had nothing to do with her age for when she thought of what she was like back then even she could see how much she had grown and changed from that selfish teenager she had once been.

Feeling the intensity of his gaze reading her true thoughts, Sarah shrugged, "Look it does not really matter. I know I am not a child."

"But you do not necessarily believe that I do not think that," he solemnly stated. It stabbed at his heart that she felt this way.

He pulled her over to an alcove cut into the wall sitting her down with him. "I do not think of you as a child. I hardly did the first time we met." He hesitated to say what he wanted to next. But he realized this was one of those opportunities that he could not afford to miss. He had to let Sarah know how he really saw her. "For what I saw before me was a beautiful young lady, who yes may have still had some growing up to do at the time, but was far from a child." He dared to cup her chin in the curve of his fingers and was pleased when she did not draw away. "A young lady who has grown into a lovely young woman."

Suddenly uncomfortable at Jareth's touch and words, Sarah studied the wall even as Jareth still held her chin. "Um, thank you."

"Sarah?"

She looked back at him. "Yes?"

Again she felt the silent scrutiny of his eyes watching her, always watching her. When he was around, she never could seem to get away from them.

He heard the footsteps even before he saw him. "Your brother is awake." He dropped his hand. He had been so tempted to kiss her just then. If it had not been for her brother…

Her brother, she thought. "What about what you said about Toby?" After what Jareth had said about Toby to Cassandra, it continued to cross her mind that Toby was trapped here only because Jareth had wanted to keep him in the past. He had fought just about as hard to keep her from him as she had to get him back.

The question stunned him, his eyes widening as he breathed in unnaturally deep. But in only a moment he regained his composure as he released his breath. "I will not lie to you. I did want him for my heir. I never did have a child of my own. And Toby was an interesting little thing. He never showed any fear. But he has his own life now. I will not interfere with it."

Sarah nodded with compassion and gratitude. "Thank you for be honest with me."

"There the two of you are," Toby said as he drew near them. "I have been searching everywhere. I was told that after eating, without me I dare say, that the two of you went off walking somewhere. You know you could have waited for me."

"I don't want to wait till no eleven o'clock to eat breakfast." But she smiled as she picked at her little brother. "Besides how were we suppose to know when you would even get up, you sleepy-headed thing. If anyone should have slept so late it should have been me with my need to heal."

Playfully shoving her shoulder, he ribbed her back, "I thought you slept enough yesterday."

"Yes I did," she laughed back at him.

Jareth stood up smoothing down his waist-jacket. "I have things to attend to. Join your brother while he dines, then explore the castle at your whim. You may enter any room that is not locked. Just remember, do not venture off the grounds."

She was surprised at how disappointed she felt over Jareth leaving. While their conversation had just recently become intense, the rest of the morning after that incident first thing had been thoroughly enjoyable. "Where will you be?"

He studied her curiously for a moment before answering her, "In the throne room mostly. But you know how to summon me if need be."

"Yes, I guess I do. Have a good day then."

"May yours be equally well. I will not see you until we dine tonight." He gave her a gentlemanly nod of his head before departing.

As she watched him leave, her brother questioned with a strange look at both the man moving down the outstretched hall and his sister, "Did something happen that I should know about?"

"No, everything is fine." No it was not quite fine. Why did her brother have to come along when he had?

She could not be sure, but she had been almost certain that Jareth had been about to kiss her earlier, a thought that made her heart thud against her chest.

But did she really want Jareth to kiss her? The only good it would serve is to tell her the truth of his feelings for her, which is something she still had to question.

She shook her head deciding that it really did not matter for she did not have any feeling other than gratitude for rescuing her, so Jareth's feelings were really irrelevant.

"Nothing has change."

But unbeknownst to them, things had already changed.

"You failed."

Cassandra stood at her balcony staring off into the distance, off to where Jareth's castle would be if she could see it from there. She turned to face the man hidden in shadows that spoke to her.

"I won't again."

"You will, you always will," he taunted her. "So why don't you let me handle it my way?"

"No, I will succeed on my own terms."

They had been playing at this game for far too long. For once, she was determined to best him, no matter what it took.


	12. Chapter 12

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Chapter 12

Once they finished supper, Jareth had to dismiss himself once again leaving Sarah and Toby to their own vices.

"Let's explore the castle some more. We barely covered this floor."

Toby groaned, "Do you ever tire of nosing about?"

"It is not nosing about." Scooting out of her chair, she went on, "Besides Jareth said to go anywhere unlocked in the castle that we wish."

He waved her on. "You go ahead. I think I will have some more dessert."

She settled her eyes down on him. "Don't overdo it."

"You sound like mom."

"I guess all those years around her rubbed off. Besides, you know that I am right. Otherwise, you'll get sick." She stuck her tongue out at her little brother who did the same to her before she went out the door.

She grinned to herself how some things never changed no matter how old you become.

She ducked in and out of places on the floor enjoying the freedom of being able to just roam about by herself, something she had not been able to do in a little over two weeks. Cassandra had kept her locked up in that room the entire time and then everyone had been hovering about her since being injured including her friends who had shown up to check on her earlier that day.

As the hour stretched later into the night making her weary, she headed to back towards her room. After a couple of wrong turns and asking a goblin or two, which as she found out was not always the wisest of ideas, she managed to find her way back the area of the castle where her room was.

When she was almost there, she saw the light coming out from beneath the door of the room across from hers.

Not hesitating she went and opened it. "Toby, you should have joined me, walked off that dessert you pigged out on." Toby had barged into her room enough times when she still lived at home that she thought it was fair payback.

Seated in a dark burgundy chair positioned before the fire burning in the hearth, he leaned around its tall back. She nearly jumped out of her skin at the sight of him. "Good Evening Sarah." An amused bewilderment played across his lips they pleasantly greeted her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." She covered her face. Embarrassed, the feeling of stupidity overcame her for failing to knock. "I figured this must have been Toby's room. I should have knocked."

"Maybe I should have locked the door," his voice teased.

Sarah lowered her hands to see him smirking with playfully delight at her. "I did say any door that was not locked." Again his friendlier ways took her by surprise.

"Still I should have knocked. It is only polite. I will leave now." She turned to go when Jareth stopped her.

"No, don't." He gestured to another large overstuffed chair in front of the fireplace. "Have a seat."

Spying the pile of papers on the table beside him, she asked. "Still at work, huh?"

"A kingdom never truly sleeps," he told her while laying a document he had been looking at down on the pile. "Besides, I have been trying to decide how to proceed with the issue with Cassandra."

"Any ideas yet?" She was hopeful that the sooner he figured something out, the sooner both she and Toby could go home.

"None suitable enough to actually work." The shadows of the flame danced across his grim face. He was grim most of the time it seemed. Very rarely did he have moments of real happiness as she had come to realize in the short time she had been around him. And this was taking a toll on him, making him even grimmer than normal. It upset her to see him, to see anyone, so distraught. She wanted to help him in some way, to give him just a bit of comfort that would ease his stress.

"You will figure something out." She mustered the best face of confidence that she could manage for Jareth's sake. "I know you will." However, it did absolutely nothing to bolster her own for how could she have confidence that everything would be okay when even Jareth was having trouble finding a way to end this.

He gave a slight nod of his head. "That I will. You have my word."

His voice was strong and sure, but his eyes were hiding what he would not say.

"Jareth?" He was staring off into the fire not saying a word, brooding about the whole thing.

He blinked a couple of times before turning to her.

"In the meantime, how are you enjoying my castle?"

At his words, she remembered when he had asked her the same question about his labyrinth. At the memory, she smiled thinking of a way to distract him. "If I said it was a piece of cake, what would you say?"

He let out a hearty laugh, which was what she had hoped to elicit from her jest. "That it was not meant to be my labyrinth." He laughed again, more subtly this time. "You remember my words."

"It's hard to forget," her voice was low. That it had been. She stared into the fire herself now. She had not meant to bring this up, but felt that there was no need to keep it to herself. She just hoped it did not put him back in his bad mood. "Although the memories have not always been pleasant ones, I remember everything from that ordeal." It was still in her mind like it had been yesterday. And being here just made it more prominent.

"Not quite," she heard Jareth's voice interrupt her thoughts.

Tilting her head, she met his eyes. "What do you mean?" For some reason, she was suddenly scared of what he was about to tell her.

He looked directly at her, yet through her, his face again taking on its typical severity. "It was something you said last night."

She waited when he went silent. What could he possibly be talking about?

Instead of looking through her as they had been a second ago, his full attention fixed on her. "The dance. It was not a dream. It was real."

Thunderstruck she felt numb in the wake of what he had just revealed to her. "It was not a dream." Her mouth opened as she searched his eyes for any hint that this was some sort of mistake, but she knew it was not. He had no reason to lie, no reason to make this up. And it did make sense. For now she knew how she got into the junkyard, something she had always wondered before just knowing she had gotten there sometime during her dreamlike trance. Her friends had never known what had happened to her until they had found her. Even Hoggle, who had given her that peach, had never known.

"No it wasn't." His eyes never wavered from hers as he seemed to measure her reaction.

"So we actually danced together?" It seemed a silly thing to say, but it was the only thing that came to her mind.

"We did."

She fell back against her chair. "I always thought it was just a dream."

"I thought you should know." She knew he was still watching her, observing her full reaction to the news.

"Why?"

"It is only right you should," he answered with a firm belief in his voice.

She met his gaze once again. "No, I mean why, as in why the dance? Why did you pull me there?" She bunched up the space between her brows. "I mean there had to be a reason you chose to do that? You could have done anything else. I mean you sent Hoggle to lead me the wrong way, you sent the cleaners after me, and you even dropped me nearly into the Bog of Eternal Stench. So why, after all that, did you choose a dance?"

She wanted to know because it just seemed out of place compared to everything else as she tried to banish the echo of Cassandra's words from her mind.

The recognition of what she was truly asking showed in his eyes, but he did not speak at first.

"To be near you. To dance with you," he told her with such sincere truthfulness that she had no doubt of his words.

So he had cared. He had really cared. And it had not been only the controlling caring that she had bared witness to.

Finding herself flustered and now quite uncomfortable in his presence, she almost leaped from the chair in her desperation to leave.

"Um…it is getting awfully late. I should go."

She headed for the door. Her body did jump when she felt Jareth's hand slid under the edge of her arm cupping her elbow.

"I shall walk you to your door then."

"That's not necessary," she tried with a nervous infliction to refuse the offer. She did not want him coming with her, even if it would only be for a few moments. She needed to be away from him right now, to pull herself back together.

"I insist." Jareth obviously would not be dissuaded on the matter and Sarah did not even try feeling the domination of his mere presence beside her. She once again felt like that little teenage girl that had been awed and overwhelmed by the Goblin King as he stared with intent down into her eyes, his body heat radiating the warmth of his presence beside her.

At her door, he bade her goodnight opening the door for her.

"Goodnight." She rushed forward into the room. But before shutting the door, she saw that sadness that lingered around him and she felt guilty that maybe she was part of reason as she now realized she probably was.

Halting the door, she reached for his hand with both hers knowing that she should not, but feeling the need to for what she needed to say. "Thank you for everything Jareth. Thank you for protecting my brother and me. And thank you for being honest and telling me what you did. I appreciate knowing the truth," she expressed her gratitude as she pressed both hands over his after having almost pulled away when she touch the bare skin of his hand. Being accustomed to him wearing gloves all the time, it felt strange to hold his hand that way. He had taken her hand over the past couple of days while leading her around, but only with gloves on, which he had apparently taken off for the night.

She dropped his hand and quickly closed the door. Turning around, her back fell against the door as the anxiety continued to plague her.

As hard as it had been for her to do that considering what she now knew and that maybe it was not the smartest move for her, it had been the right thing. She needed to show her appreciation. He had been right about one thing in the past. She always did take for granted all that he did for her even though sometimes it had not been what she really wanted.

And now, she would have to continue to take one thing for granted from him. Something she could not return. And that pained her.

She could never feel the way about him that he had apparently at least at one time felt for her. Even back then she had only felt that infatuation with fantasizing about a mysterious nonexistent being that loved her and would do anything for her. And then when he came into reality of having actually existed, it was that feeling of him paying her special attention. She had been thrilled by it, but as she had realized that it was not love when he had professed his and all she had wanted to do was to take her brother and go home. The infatuation had remained for some time and even though she had not wanted to see him again, she had felt the giddy sensation of thinking about his declaration of love for her and willingness to give her anything she asked for, but that had faded with time as she grew up forcing herself to move pass silly childhood notions that romanticized their encounter.

So being able to move on as she did, verified in her mind that whatever she had felt back then was nothing like what he had claimed to feel for her.

Did that feeling still exist in him she wondered? But she knew it had to because otherwise why would he be so adamant about protecting her? Unless it was out of duty because he felt responsible for her after what Cassandra had tried? Was she just misreading the whole situation? Maybe it was she who was she becoming obsessed again with her teenage fantasy life of how the Goblin King fell in love with her like in the story.

She did not know. She was utterly confused. Why had she ever wondered into his room? Before then, she had managed some sort of tedious friendship with him since he had rescued her.

But now…now she did not know what she would do.

Jareth stood there staring at the door. Sarah had just taken his hand of her own accord. He looked down at his hand. Her skin had been so soft and warm. But she had not taken his hand out of the reason he desired, he thought with angry bitterness as he spun away from the door.

He had seen the way she had reacted to his admission. He had taken a chance and again was scorned by her. She had bounded out of her seat so fast that one would have thought a snake had bitten her. Was the idea of him having feelings for her that distasteful to her that she felt the need to run?

She had been nice about it though, not fully rejecting him. That much he was thankful for. He did not think he could stand it if she had rejected him again. He would had to of fled the castle while she remained until he had dealt with Cassandra. But in a way she had, her heart continued to refuse his no matter what he did.

So why did she have to torture him so by taking his hand the way she had?

It made him wonder why she had taken his hand at all. She could have expressed her gratitude without having done so. So why had she? Why had she taken his hand?

He stopped at his door. He could not go in, not to that lonesome place. It had never seemed lonesome before. But now it was. Without Sarah it would always be.

Seeing the forlorn mist of the Shadowy Plains before him, he admitted to himself what he already knew.

His heart was cold and dead. It had been for a long time. The only spark of life within him came from her, but now even that was no longer so. Even after she had discarded his offer the first time, he had continued to hope without really hoping that maybe one day, but after seeing her reaction to his feelings tonight he knew there was no longer even that to hold on to. His heart would forever remain a shadow of dark emptiness just like the plains he so often walked alone.


	13. Chapter 13

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Chapter 13

Pulling herself out of bed the next day, Sarah dreaded facing Jareth. She did not know how she would handle herself around him now knowing what she did.

How had she gone from fearing this man to being on a somewhat friendly manner with him to fearing him yet again?

It was a different kind of fear, a heart-pounding nervousness, but a fear nevertheless.

When the knocking started on her door, it was loud and impatient. Or did it just seem that way, she wondered? Was it that way just because she did not want to be confronted with him? Or was he really being that impatient.

"Sarah! Come on! Open the door!"

Sarah almost laughed when she heard her brother's voice.

"What took you so long," he asked as he came through the door. "Or were you still sleeping," he sarcastically ragged her.

"No and by the way, what are you doing up so early," she answered him in the same tone he had just given her, "It's not like you."

"I don't know what your problem is, but your Goblin King woke me up." No wonder he seemed so irritated, she thought. Toby was known for being grumpy when woken out of his sleep early by any means other than the alarm clock, which he wasn't too fond of either, or himself.

"He is not my Goblin King," she huffed despising the phrasing of the words. They made her think of the thoughts she wanted to banish from her mind.

"Okay…whatever you say," he mouthed back at her, exaggerating his lips as he spoke. "Well anyway, he said he did not want to wake you up because as he put it you are still recuperating, but wanted to let us know that he would not be able to be around today."

A wave of relief flooded over her. She would not have to face him, at least not today she wouldn't. And maybe that meant she could put those thoughts out of her mind, at least for a while.

"Is that the only reason he woke you up?" She found it curious considering he could have just left a note or word through someone else. It also un-eased her as to what might have been said to Toby even though she did not think Jareth would have said anything to her brother about the previous night, not that there was anything to hide.

Toby gave her a curious look. "Yeah or at least that is what he said. But am I missing something here? You seem on edge. Did something happen?"

Above all things, Sarah did not want Toby to know or suspect anything was wrong. "No, I was just wondering if it had something to do with Cassandra. My edginess is probably just eagerness to get home. I have been stuck here way too long."

"Yeah, I can get that." He did not sound too convinced.

Toby and she spent most of the day together until they started getting on each other's nerves. At that point, they went their separate ways.

Not having anything else to do, she wondered the castle in a semi-daze thinking and at the same time trying not to think about the whole issue with Jareth. It once again crossed her mind several times that morning whether or not the mysterious person in the play had in fact been Jareth. His nonchalant attitude about the whole affair was the only thing that deterred her from really believing so.

After a while, she finally decided to head back to her room. Upon doing so, she found herself walking past the throne room. She peeked in to see that sure enough Jareth was in there. She bit her lip. She did not want him to see her but there was no way of returning to her room from here without going all the way back around. She had already discovered that the hard way.

She waited until his back was turned before making a dash for it.

She didn't get far before hearing his voice ring out from inside the room beyond into the hallway. "Sarah? Why are you running like that? You shouldn't, at least not until the condition of your wound is better."

She stopped mid-stride, scrunching up her face at being caught especially at being caught trying to sneak past him like she was. She turned and went into the room.

"I was not running."

"Oh really?" He stared her down, a neutral expression upon his face that was almost mocking her in its evenness. "What were you doing?"

She shrugged. "Nothing." She certainly was not about to admit to Jareth what had really been going on although she suspected he already knew. "I was just heading back to my room. Got bored of roaming the castle alone."

"Hmm." He nodded while being temporarily distracted by some paper in his hand. "Where is your brother at then?"

"He went back to his room quite a while ago."

"Any particular reason why," he asked while laying the document in his hand on the edge of his throne to sign before rolling it up and peering at her. "Not tempting to wish him away like when you were younger?"

While annoyed at his little jest, she could not help but to admit to herself that it was kind of funny. "No, besides where would he be sent. He is already at the castle of the Goblin King."

"True, true," he said with a hint of a smile as he sat comfortably back in the throne, "And so are you, so I guess that wouldn't work."

"No it wouldn't." She blew out a breath wishing she could just escape from Jareth's presence at the moment. His calm, reserved politeness at the moment unnerved her. "We were just starting to get on each other's nerves. Brother and sister stuff. We needed a break from each other."

"And you were heading back to your room because you were becoming bored yourself."

"Yes."

He thought for a second. "Come with me." He held his hand out to her. She hesitated to take it. Giving her a sidelong glance, he told her sounding slightly exasperated at her delay, "I won't bite."

Feeling ridiculous she laid her hand in his. Although the minute she touched the cool leather of his gloves, her mind whirled back to the touch of his warm, bare skin the night before.

He led her through a part of the castle she had not yet explored. It still amazed her just how big the castle was when it did not seem so from the outside. At last, he stopped in front of a set of double doors.

"I am a bit surprised you have not already found this area of the castle yet. To be sure, you will be spending a lot of time here."

Sarah was about to ask why when Jareth pushed open the doors. The sight answered her question.

"This should keep you from being bored."

"It sure will." She stared in amazement at the astoundingly, gorgeous room. The books ran throughout both sides of the walls with wrought-iron staircases spiraling up opposing sides to matching wrought-iron walkways. At the back of the room, a set of glass double doors opened up a magnificent garden she had never noticed from the windows of the castle. "But…"

He seemed to sense her question. "Magic. You can only see and enter the room and garden from here."

The space between her brows crinkled as she tried to understand. "So it's hidden."

Jareth walked on into the room. "Not exactly. Anyone can access this room."

She turned and looked at him still a bit confused. "But I have looked out all sides of the castle and have never seen a garden."

"Because it is technically not there."

"What?" Was he just trying to confuse her?

"It magically overlaps with the peach trees outside the castle."

Sarah cringed inside of herself at the mention of the peach trees. "So it is hidden."

Jareth shrugged. "I guess you could say so, but only in a way. There are several places here that magically overlap. They are not really hidden just two different things existing in the same place at the same time."

She nodded to herself thinking about events that had happened before. "That explains some things." And although she was still somewhat bewildered, she was now highly curious about this. "But how is that even possible. It shouldn't be."

He gave a low-throated chuckle at her question. "And that is why it is magic. You still overlook the obvious."

She glared annoyed at the insult. "There is nothing obvious about it."

He just shook his head. "This is yours to use at your will. Enjoy."

Sarah became highly offended when he just turned around and left without saying another word. He was so condescending that she despised him. She wanted to scream after him, but did not want to give him the satisfaction of it.

Jareth felt angry with himself. Why had he said what he had? He had not meant to insult her. He was just stating the truth. Sarah did often overlook the obvious. After all, they were in the Underground where magic was common. She should realize that.

But as he walked on, it came to his mind that she was from a place where magic was not so common. So even though she loved those fantasy novels often filled with magic and knew of the magic of this land, he realized he should not automatically expect her to understand. How could she? She really did not know anything about magic other than what she had read and the few things she had seen whereas he had experienced magic his entire existence. But she still could have been a little more open-minded, he believed.

At least he hoped she would enjoy the library of books he had collected over the years. He knew she loved to read and at one point filled the collection with several fantasy novels he thought she might like including several he had once spied in her own assortment of books. But that had been a long time ago when he once thought he would win her over, where she would have one day lived in this castle with him, where the library would have been hers too…

He knew he had been on the verge of upsetting her. That is why he had left in such a hurry. He had to get away before he said something else that would offend her in some way. It was no wonder his dream would never be. He could not seem to stop hurting her.

He knew that she had been trying to sneak past the door so she would not have to deal with him. He should have let her. Why didn't he?

Because he had wanted to talk to her.

He had come to realize that it did not matter what Sarah's feelings for him were, his for her would never change. And that had left him feeling the sting of her not wanting to even take his hand. Did she really have that strong of an aversion to him?

Trying to ignore the way Jareth had just left her after being on the haughty side with her, she walked alongside one of the shelves trailing her fingers with no idea where to start. It was so huge with so many books and she would only be here for a short while before Jareth would be able to send her home that she did not even know how she would be able to choose one book over another.

It was not until she came across a series of volumes that held the history of the Underground that she made her selection. She knew she would never get another chance once she left here to find this kind of information about the Underground. Grabbing the oldest volume about the earliest recorded years, she went to the sitting area before the glass double doors. There was a table with a huge leather chair lined up horizontally with the back wall and a couple of comfortable looking maple chairs with cushioned seats, however Sarah choose the silver chaise lounge with overstuffed black cushions and a matching black round roll pillow.

She was fascinated by the history as she read through the massive book, but found herself with many questions about things she read or wanting more information about other parts. Getting up she went to the desk to search for a piece of paper and a writing utensil. While she realized she was taking a chance on Jareth saying something demeaning to her when she asked about these things, she knew he would indeed answer them trying to give her the information she sought. It would also give them something to talk about where she could try to avoid uncomfortable topics which they seemed to always get on.

She pulled open the middle drawer pulling out paper she found within. Sitting down at the desk, she observed the quill and inkwell on the desk with some reluctance. She had never used one before but had not seen anything else. She picked up the quill and touched it to the paper. The paper blotted with a dark stain. Drawing it up, she tried again pressing lighter this time. It worked. She managed to write and got in the habit of dipping the quill back into the inkwell several times. By the time she was finished, the paper looked a mess but at least she had written down everything she wanted to remember to bring up with Jareth.

Done, she replaced the quill stretching her arms out in front of her before reaching out to fold the piece of paper. Making sure the ink was dry enough before doing so, she stood up moving her hand to stick the paper in her pocket. It did not reach its intended target as her hand slipped and the paper floating down to the floor. She peered down trying to see where it went. Not finding it, she bent down to look underneath the desk. There is was.

Reaching for it, she noticed something strange about the desk. It had a little notch at the back section of the rear panel. Instead of retrieving the note, she inquisitively felt at the notch. Finding it to be a finger hole, she stuck her index finger inside the dark opening and pulled. It popped out a small hidden panel. A small book laid there within the concealed cabinet. She knew she probably shouldn't, but she reached in and grasped it wanting to know what it was. Grabbing the folded paper as well, she got up off the floor sitting back down at the desk.

She laid her paper aside running her hand over the soft brown leather of the bound book. It did not have any markings on the outside to identify what it was or to debase its exquisite beauty. Sarah felt remarkable drawn to it. She had to know what it held.

Sliding her fingers delicately along the edge, she slowly raised the front cover turning it over. The first page was blank. She flipped it over not believing a blank book would be hidden. But the next page was also blank. Magic, she thought. There had to been something hidden in the book, but magic kept her from seeing it.

Frustrated she absent-mindedly slapped the desk knocking over the quill and its inkwell. She watched with dread as it spilled onto the book. Automatically she reached for the inkwell to set it upright. She did not want to have to tell Jareth that she had messed up something especially a book that had to be important enough to be hidden.

But as she scrambled to find something to clean it with, the ink flowed into words on the page. Amazed, she started reading those words. And gasped at what she read.

_I went to the other world today and witness a vision, a vision of my future. One day I will greet this lovely vision and she will know I exist and have fallen for her. Her raven black locks trailed behind her as I watched her play, the exercise reddening the cheeks upon her fair skin. But it was those eyes, the most soulful green eyes I have ever seen that made me want to learn more about her._

_As I watched her, I saw a remarkable thing accounting to what a treasure she truly is. The black-haired beauty spied two older boys bullying a younger and much smaller one. An anger shot through her eyes making them green fire. Picking up a stick she ran over and starting hitting the older boys yelling for them to leave the small one alone. I feared for her and made myself ready to intervene if necessary but the cowards ran scared of the brave young lady. And when they were gone, she dropped the stick comforting the small boy before leading him back to his mother._

_I had to know her name, she who is not only a beauty by skin but a beauty within. She has taken my heart._

_I followed the enchantress home and discovered her name to be…Sarah._


	14. Chapter 14

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Chapter 14

Her fingers trembled as she closed the book. She would not read anymore. She couldn't. It wasn't right. These were Jareth's private thoughts, a personal journal he had hidden away for his eyes only.

His written words made her feel so horribly strange. She scrunched back in the coolness of chair trying to hide within herself. She did not have those kinds of feelings for him, but such an outpouring of affection for her left her utterly touched to the core of her being.

She sat there for an endless time trying to gather her bearings until she quickly replaced the book in its hiding place forgetting about the now visible ink. It would not be until later that she would remember and worry about it.

Grabbing her paper, she practically raced from the room, embarrassed by her finding. Even though he had made no demand of her affections or even hinted at expecting something since she had been here, she felt the overwhelming weight of his desire.

Heading the long way around towards her room, in her haste, she plowed right into her brother.

"Hey slow down. What are you trying to do? Kill me?" He pushed her off of him.

His demeanor changed when he looked at her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She tried to side-step him but he stepped to the right as well holding a restraining arm out clutching her shoulder.

"You're not fooling me. I know you too well."

She shoved his arm away. "I don't want to talk about it. Leave me alone." She raced around him and down the hallway, slamming the door to her room shut.

He thought about following her. But he knew his sister well enough. She wouldn't talk about it and he would only make her worse.

"What did you do to my sister?"

Jareth looked up to see Toby scowling angrily at him. "Do you mean where is she?" He could not imagine Sarah still being mad over what he had said earlier. "She is in the castle's library at the back south corner."

"No," Toby just about cut him off, "I mean what did you do to her. She passed me just a few minutes ago highly upset over something. She tried to deny it, but I know her. Something has really upset her."

Distressed by what the boy had just told him, Jareth set what he was looking at aside. "After showing her there was a library, I left her there almost an hour ago and no one ever goes in there. I do not know what has happened, but I will find out." He was already headed for the door when Toby stopped him.

"You might want to give her some time to calm down."

He had watched Sarah enough at one time to know that Toby was probably right, but that did not deter him. "No, if something has happened in my castle to Sarah, I need to know about it now." He turned a commanding glare on Toby. "You stay put." He did not want the boy's interference. He would be able to comfort his sister later if needed. Clearly Sarah had not wanted to talk to him, not that he expected Sarah would want to talk to him any more than she did her brother.

He knocked on the door.

"GO AWAY!"

He knocked again. "Sarah."

There was a long silence before she softly spoke, "Please leave me alone."

He eased the door open. "I will not. Toby told me what occurred." He closed the door behind him. "Sarah, what happened? Why are you upset?"

She turned away from him. "I don't want to talk about it. I can't."

The tremble in her voice made it hard on him. "I need to know. If something bad happened to you while in my castle, I will take care of it, but I need to know what it was."

"Nothing happened to me."

He sat down near her on the edge of the mattress causing her to scoot away from him. "Then was it something I did? Do not pay any attention to what I said in the library. They were the words of a foolish old man too use to magic to see through the eyes of one not so."

"It has nothing to do with that," she told him.

Losing his patience, desperately wanting to help her, he demanded, "Then what is it? I am not leaving this room until you tell me," his voice becoming harsh.

He almost felt sorry for how he had just handled himself, when her eyes turned to stare at him. They were so rueful, almost like she felt sorry for him.

She was sorry, sorry that she continued to hurt him when all he seemed to really want was to just love her. He did not always go about it the right way, but it was equally not right to hurt him this way. He only wanted to help her, to ease her pain.

"I just read something I shouldn't have." She hoped he would leave it at that but doubted he would. She did not want to tell him that she was upset because she read his journal but felt she needed to tell him something.

"What could you have possibly read that would upset you so?"

"Please, I rather not say."

"Sarah." He was firm and she knew he would persist until she told him everything and she could not lie, not after what she now knew.

But she could not look at him while telling him. So again she turned away.

"I…I accidentally found your journal," he heard her say.

He had written everything that had ever happened between them in the journal including things that would certainly upset her like the kiss he had lied about. But even if she had found it, she could not have read it. He had made sure of that in case anyone was to ever come across it. They would see it as blank in order to protect Sarah from ones like Cassandra. But instinctively he knew that she had indeed somehow read it.

He cursed himself for ever wanting a written history of everything about her, about them. And he cursed his immortal soul. His life was a long one with too many memories. He never wanted to lose those of her. It made him wonder had he unconsciously known that Sarah would never be his? Had that been the reason why he had started the hobby he had never pursued before seeing her?

"I spilt the inkwell on it and…I did not know what it was until I had read it." As she finally turned back to face him, her eyes searched his for any sign of understanding and forgiveness. "But I only read the first page. No more. I did not mean to."

He could not grasp what could have disturbed her about that. The first page just talked about the first day he saw her and how he had fallen for her. He knew the passage by heart having read it several times as he relived the memory in his mind. At last, he concluded that maybe it was just about having invaded his privacy for she already knew how he felt about her. He had made it clear enough in the past how he felt about her.

"Do not fret. You didn't know."

She started to speak but instead just looked like she was about to cry again. He just wanted to hold her, but held back.

His eyes perceptibly narrowed as he studied her. "That is not what this is about is it?"

"No," she wailed, "I'm sorry, but I can't do this."

"Sarah," he reached out for her shoulder not being about to help himself. Quick as lighting she jumped away hopping off the mattress nearly running away from him. He stood up shocked by her reaction.

"Jareth please go."

"Not with you like this." He could not leave her, not when she was on the verge of tears. "Tell me then what is this about?" He stood there before her, all the air and authority of the Goblin King about him commanding an answer.

The tears slid down her face as she finally told him. "You. It's about you. Don't you understand? It is about what you wrote. It is about how you feel. I cannot be around you. It is too much."

Her words were like a knife in his heart. "But you already knew how I felt. You knew before you ever even met me." Maybe she hadn't he finally realized, horrifying him that his feelings for her were so troublesome to her. "You didn't, did you?" His fingers curled up into a fist.

She continued to stare at the wall. "No I didn't, not really. I knew you once had some kind of fixation with me. After growing up that is all I thought it was, a fixation, an obsession and nothing more. But now I know. Being here has made me come to know the truth. And I don't know what to do, how to handle being around you, being here, accepting everything you are doing for me."

Hurt himself, he told her slowly and as kindly as he could manage through his own pain, "Sarah, I have never tried to hide from you how I feel. I have done some things that would make you believe otherwise or doubt my feelings. But none of that matters. What matters is nothing besides your knowledge of the truth of my feelings has changed. I know you do not feel the same. You have made that clear. So I have made no demands of you and expect nothing from you."

Why did his words sting her so? Because she could hear the misery in them. He truly believed what he had said and he really had always cared for her. This was as painful for him as it was for her and she had wanted to spare them both this pain. That is why she had refused to talk to her brother and why she had literally begged Jareth to just leave it alone.

When she remained silent, he again spoke. "Or do you believe I will because I promise I won't. I know nothing will happen between us. I have accepted that."

"But you still hope it will and that is where the problem lies."

"Even though I know it will never occur, I cannot deny that my heart will continue to yearn for it."

She wanted to scream. She knew it was not his fault. He could not help how he felt and he was just trying to be honest with her.

She turned around to face him, finally looking into his eyes, those sad eyes that held nothing but pain now and a love for her. "And I will not be able to forget it. Everything I do or say, I will worry about making you think it means something it doesn't or hurting you and I don't want to do that. This whole situation is just disastrous. If only I could just go home."

"Sarah…"

"I know I can't, not with Cassandra still after me." Dejected she fell into the chair behind her. Oddly enough she did not remember the chair being there before.

"No you cannot." He kneeled down in front of her grasping the arm of the chair. "Sarah, do not concern yourself about me. I tend to see things for what they are and not for what I want them to be. You cannot hurt me. Now stop this. We managed to be civil before without constantly hurting each other and that is what we are going to have to do again."

She looked at him, the grand stoic figure in front of her that was in so much pain because of her. He was right. She would have to make do. At least until this whole thing was done with. "Being civil was never a problem. It was the awkwardness and pain we might cause each other that I was afraid of, but like you said we managed once before, we can manage it again."

Silently he observed her. "Are you sure?"

She wasn't. "Yes, I am," she lied.

She felt that very uncomfortableness that she had just spoken about when he patted her hand. "Good, I will see you later. Give you time to get your bearings back." He went to leave before looking back. "What do you want to tell your brother?"

"Nothing, I want him to know of none of this." Even if he did not mean to, Toby would end up making this whole situation even worse if he knew. And he would tease her relentlessly. She knew her brother well enough.

"Then I will tell him not to disturb you and make up something for you. Rest now."

He shut the door behind him not convinced she was telling him the entire truth herself. But he could help her. He would give her the space she needed. He would keep himself busy and away from her for her sake.

It had pained him to see her reaction to his feelings being so distressing to her, but at least now he knew why. It wasn't as he had thought. Even though she did not realize it, she did care about him in some way, enough at least that she had not wanted to hurt him. And despite what he had told her that meant the world to him.


	15. Chapter 15

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Chapter 15

The next few days passed with Jareth and Sarah hardly seeing each other throughout the days' activities. When they did, it was only through accidental passings or Sarah would see Jareth disappear around a corner or into a room. It did not take Sarah much to realize that Jareth was purposely avoiding her. He had even gone so far as to dismiss Hoggle's duties so that the little dwarf could keep her company.

Realizing what this gesture from Jareth was, it only added to her misery.

"Hoggle, why don't you go on home? I'll be fine."

"Is Sarah certain about that?" She could tell that Hoggle was a bit hesitant to do so. While Jareth had not told him anything, the dwarf knew more was going on. Even Toby had picked up on Jareth's mysterious lack of attending his guests.

"Yes and if I want some company, I will just go bug my brother. After all the times I had to babysit him, he can at least do me such a favor."

"I will go then. I'll be back tomorrow."

"I know you will." Sarah leaned down to hug him goodbye knowing he would probably still be coming by if Jareth had not arranged it. Hoggle was indeed a good friend just like her other two friends here, Ludo and Sir Didymus, were and even as she had come to realize recently… Jareth was.

She had to talk to Jareth and straighten out this whole affair, but there was something she needed to do first. It had been the last thing she had would have thought she would have done. She was keenly aware of how much of an invasion of his privacy it was and how wrong it was, but she needed to know just how many times he had been there in the past when he had invaded her privacy and what he had been thinking when he had. And had it went beyond just his silent passionate spying of her those times? Had he physically invaded her life more often than just those times she knew about?

That is what she needed to know. Just how many times in the past had he been there for her without her even knowing?

Leaning under the desk, she pulled the hidden panel opened. It was gone. Thwarted, she fell back on her heels. She should have known better than to think that Jareth would leave his journal there after she had discovered it.

Without the journal, the only thing left for her to do was to go talk to Jareth. That is, if she could manage to find him. She could just call for him. She doubted he would ignore that, but she had a different idea. Something that would automatically let him know she had come to a somewhat peace with the situation or at least a need to make peace with it.

Exhausted, Jareth headed to his room. All he could think about was how much he would enjoy a goblet of wine before retiring to bed. It had been a long day and he still wanted to check on Sarah one more time since his demands from the day had left him too little time to do so.

Although, he had been giving her the space she had required, he had continued to watch over her periodically with his crystals. And from what he had seen, even his absence had done her no good.

Opening his door, he looked forward to that bit of wine, a good fire, and seeing Sarah.

His boots sunk into the carpet as he halted upon seeing a fire already going and not one, but two goblets out on the table.

He cautiously looked around the room as he took a step bringing his hand up tingling with magic in preparation of a fight. "Who is in here?"

The black curtain of her hair came into view before her face. She leaned around the back of the chair, "I thought we should talk. I hope you don't mind my uninvited intrusion."

"Not at all. You are always welcomed in here." It had been the last thing he had expected given Sarah's recent misgivings about their current situation, but her presence was a welcoming sight. He headed for his chair trying to decide how exactly to handle himself. It had been Sarah that had sought him out, but he still did not want to do anything in particular to alarm or dismay her. He had already caused her enough pain. Lowering himself smoothly down onto the cushion, he questioned, "What exactly did you want to talk about?"

Sarah took a deep breath finding it hard to take in the air. When she had decided to do this earlier it had seemed so much easier at the time, but now that it had actually come time for the conversation, she found her tongue as thick as the weight pressing against her chest.

What sounded like a meek voice, one she could barely recognize as herself, came forth, "This isn't right."

"Sarah?" She looked up into his eyes to see that same lost loneliness she always saw when he looked at her. Eyes that were never for anyone else for she never saw him look at another that way for those eyes were those of an unrequited love, something given that went unreturned. And every time she looked at them, they hurt her. "You don't need to go there again."

"I'm not," she defended, "That is not what I meant." She paused gathering her thoughts while seeing his intense gaze. "I mean this isn't right as in how we are dealing with the situation. You have been deliberating avoiding me…"

"And what is wrong with that?"

"Because I have been letting you. And it is wrong because this is your castle and you have done everything you could for me and yet I treat you like you are the enemy just because I am afraid of what your feelings mean."

"But you needn't."

"But I do or I did." She shook her head frustrated trying to make him understand why she had. "It is just that for some reason being around you and being here makes me feel emotionally confused." She grasped at straws trying to explain to him as much as herself why she felt this way. "I am trapped in a world I am finding I really know nothing about. So everything is already muddled and confusing. And then adding your feelings on top of that…"

"Has presented you with one more dilemma to deal with," he guiltily mumbled to himself. He believed he understood what she was trying to explain to him and saw it as a step forward that she felt the willingness to be open with him about this, but was still not sure where she was going with this.

"And that is why…" She met his eyes feeling firm in what she was about to say. "We cannot continue to just avoid each other the way we have been. It won't solve anything and will just make things worse especially if I have to remain here longer than either of us would expect."

"Sarah it won't be that long."

"You don't know that, not really," she countered, "You could defeat Cassandra tomorrow or it might take several months from now. She could just disappear where you would have to go track her down first. She could even hide out in my world where you would not know where to start searching."

"I doubt she will for she will feel safer in her fortress, but she could," he relented, "So what do you suggest then? You sought me out. Therefore, you must have some idea of how you want to handle this."

"Honesty and openness." She had thought long and hard over this. It scared her what she may discover about both Jareth and herself. This could not be one-sided and the more she was around him, the more she learned not only about him but about herself as well.

His face was guarded as Jareth observed her, but Sarah could still read in his expression that he was unsure about handling the matter this way. "Discovering the truth is what upset you."

A thoughtful expression crossed her features as she shook her head ever so slightly. "I don't really think it was the truth that bothered me so. For someone caring about you should not be that upsetting. It was other things I believe like how I came to find out. And before you start saying but you should have known…"

"I wasn't going to…"

"But you already have…," she reminded, "before…"

"I did," he acknowledged her accusation, "because I was under the notion that you would have."

"And that is what brings me to my other point…the reason why I didn't know…not fully." She closed her eyes not wanting to see his reaction to what she had to say. "It is the way you treated me. You were cold and aloof and downright condescending most of the time only to turn around and declare your love for me. How was I to really believe your feelings?"

The guilt slammed into him as if he had ridden horseback straight into a low hanging branch feeling the strike of the weightless hit upon his chest. Nothing she had just said was wrong. He had recognized his mistakes from early own but had not found the path to correct them, finding himself down the same wretched way still. He could admit that sometimes it had been for Sarah's own good, but normally it was just his foolish pride that had allow his tongue to say the wrong words. He opened his mouth to apologize and tell her as much but slowly closed it back realizing she still had more she wanted to say.

"And then that did not change with Cassandra's earlier attempt. You acted like it had only been part of your duty to protect me from her even though Hoggle made references that even he believed it was more."

"The dwarf is smarter than I give him credit for," he mumbled absent-mindedly thinking of her anger and hurt from that damn, stupidly, wonderful, magnificent kiss. The moment Sarah cut him eyes, he regretted his comment. "I only meant he was correct in his assumptions."

Sarah relaxed a little but Jareth knew it would just be one more thing he would have to make right with her. He made a mental note that despite his own reluctance, he would have to make an effort to be more respectful and accepting of Hoggle and Sarah's other friends. Her other friends would not be a problem. It was just that annoying little dwarf. What was it about the creature that bugged him so? It had to be more than just Sarah's obvious affection for the creature for she cared for the others as well and that did not bother him nearly as much.

"Anyway… I spent all these previous years with the mindset that your declaration had only been a distraction to keep me away from Toby and then since being here, I just kept trying to blind myself to the reality of your feelings. Oh sure, I saw them, but I chose not to at the same time."

Jareth thought he knew why. "Because you did not want it to be true." He had known that his feelings towards her scared her but he still could not quite grasp the reason for such fear. "But why? Was it because of my previous wrongs towards you? Or something else?" Wariness flashed in Sarah's eyes. Jareth immediately regretted his question. "I did not mean to ask too much of this conversation. However, I cannot understand why my feelings would scare you so for it is not as if I am demanding a return upon them. Do not feel the need to answer my question unless you are ready to. I do not want to push you."

The question threw her. She had not expected it. Casting her eyes to the burning blaze before them, she contemplated the question herself. Why did it bother her so? "You deserve an answer. I was the one who said I wanted to be completely honest and open, but I don't have an answer and maybe that is the problem. I need to figure out why I feel this way for it does not make sense. If I still hated you over before then it would, but I don't. I don't know if I ever truly did."

"Take all the time you need Sarah. I will not rush you." His voice was so smooth and comforting that it made her remorseful that she could not give him an answer. She could hear the mix of the truth and lie in his voice. He wanted to give her the time but it was costing him. Shifting in her seat, she met his eyes, those strong, sad mismatched eyes of his longing for more. "But I am. I want to understand myself why I am feeling this way. And it will not help me if you just try to avoid me as you have done the past several days. If I am to discover the source of my issue, I do not need to worry over causing you to watch your own step in your own home because of trying to protect me." She turned back to the fire uncertain of her next words. "Besides, what good is it to try to discover the root cause without the source? I need your presence to help guide me on my path. It is the only way I will discover what is wrong with me." Sarah felt as if she was beginning to lose her mind.

"Nothing is wrong with you Sarah," he said defensively before calmly commanding, "Look at me."

When she did not respond, she heard a rustle of sound as the fabric of his clothing slid off the velvety cushion of his chair. He knelt in front of her where she was forced to meet his eyes full of determined concern to console her. "Listen to me. I have been wrong about many things in the past when it came to you, but this is one I am not and you will listen to me and believe me. There is nothing wrong with you Sarah. You are just confused. And it is no wonder considering what both Cassandra and I have put you through."

The fire crackled behind him filled the quiet of the room with its sound as the empathetic words washed over her. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes as she impulsively leaned forward throwing her arms around him.

"Thank you," she appreciatively whispered with earnest as she hung tight to him. In chaos of her mind and emotions, he was being her rock despite being the reason for the turmoil.

Sitting there Jareth had refused to allow Sarah to torture herself in such a way. She would not be experiencing this if it hadn't been for him. And while he firmly held Cassandra responsible for her part of Sarah's suffering, he blamed himself more. He had been the one who had started all this by disrupting Sarah's life those many years ago. And he had to do something to help her now. To convince her that she was not disturbed, but rather just in the fragile state he saw before him.

He had worried when he saw the wetness welling up in her eyes, but when she had thrown her arms around him expressing her hushed words of merciful gratitude he felt something he had never experience before. He had always loved Sarah since first seeing her, but this was different. He felt a sad tenderness within himself that he could not do more to help her.

Unable to decide what to do he sat there while Sarah hung onto him. He desired to hold her in his arms wanting to provide her even more comfort than he already had tried to, but hesitated. Would it help her? Or would it cause her anxiety over her fear of his feelings?

Finally he resolved that since she had been the one to hug him that he would try embracing her back but would be careful to gauge her reaction ready to withdraw if needed. Slowly he closed his arms around her cradling her to him.

He felt her stiffen and then relax within the warm, consoling enfoldment of his embrace.

She did not try to move. She did not try to push him away. And he knew that he had finally done exactly what she had needed from him.

When at last Sarah quietly said, "I should go and let you get some sleep," he released her.

"I am fine if you need to talk some more."

"No," she shook her head. "I'm tired." She felt beyond drained and just needed to be by herself for a while before going to sleep herself.

"Then let me walk you to your door." He rose stretching his gloved hand out to her.

She stood without taking it, sighing, "Jareth."

He gave her a disapproving look. "Sarah."

She nodded. "Okay." However, she still refused to take his hand as she turned towards the door.

He followed her reaching out to open his door as well as hers when they reached it. "Goodnight Sarah."

"Goodnight Jareth." She went to enter but turned back for a second. "Thank you Jareth. And I will see you tomorrow won't I?"

He gave her a small nod. "If that is what you wish."

"It is what I need." She shut the door drained from what had just occurred. It had been wrong for her to torture Jareth by hugging him so but she had needed the human comfort and he had been so kind, not like the man she had once known him to be. She could only imagine the hurt she had caused him knowing he desired so much more. And that hurt her too. How could a moment of such tender kindness hurt them both so much?

Still disturbed by the events of the night before, Sarah rose early to speak with Jareth before Toby was up and about. She did not want Toby to pick up on any lingering awkwardness between her and Jareth from the exchange they had experienced.

She opened the door. Her eyes went wide as she saw Jareth standing there, fist poised to knock.

He let his arm fall to his side. "Sarah, I was just coming to see."

She laughed in spite of herself. "And I was just coming to you. I wanted to speak to you before my brother woke up."

"I thought you might. And I thought it would be best before Toby awoke as well." He offered her his arm. "Would you care to take a walk in doing so?"

"Sure." She stepped out into the hallway closing the door behind her. She warily eyed his offered arm. She was not sure about taking it, but before her discovery she had never even thought about refusing to.

"I am only being polite Sarah. It means nothing."

She glanced up at him. "Sorry, I did not mean to be so rude." Giving him her arm, she stepped beside him.

"No harm done." He started leading them off through the castle. "Last night was tough on you. How are you fairing?"

"I thought I would be doing better, but I'm not."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

Meekly she requested, "You can forgive me for doing what I did last night. I mean the way I reacted to your kindness towards me."

Jareth stopped walking as he turned to look at her. "You mean the hug? Why do you think you need forgiveness for that? You did nothing wrong."

"But I did. To have grabbed onto you like that despite knowing how you feel about me. I can only imagine how I must have hurt you in what I did, to give you just a touch of what I cannot fully give."

He gave a disappointed shake of his head. "Sarah, I was just glad to be there for you. Stop concerning yourself so with my feelings. Otherwise you will never get to the bottom of yours."

"You're right," she admitted, "but I just cannot seem to help myself."

He smiled at her, a sincere, comforting smile that seemed to hold something more, something Sarah could not perceive. "That is because you are a kind person."

"You know me better than that. You know what I am actually capable of such as wishing away my own brother."

"Yes I do such as chasing off bullies from picking on a helpless child or a helpless beast," he countered. "We all have our bad moments Sarah, some more than others." She realized that his last words were meant to be a reference to himself. "What matters is who we are most of the time for if we only judge each other by our mistakes then we would see everyone as terrible beings, which is not always the case."

"I am beginning to come to realize that thanks to a man I knew as cold and heartless, but am now seeing a different side of, a side that is gentle, warm, and caring. You are definitely not the man I thought you were Jareth."

A momentarily sadness crossed Jareth's eyes. "You give me too much credit Sarah. Let's go wake your brother and eat."

Sarah could tell that something in what she had just said bothered him. She wanted to ask what it was, but in his silence knew that he probably would not discuss it with her for she had an instinctive feeling that whatever was now troubling him went beyond things dealing with her. Not wanting to burden him, Sarah held her tongue not asking what she wanted too and the silence remained. But just about the time she saw Toby's door, something else crossed her mind that she needed to ask. Before she could, Jareth knocked on the door.

Collecting Toby, the three went to the dining hall to enjoy a morning meal together. During the meal, that question she had thought of earlier continued to nag at Sarah about previous events.

Toby pushed his chair back rising from his seat. "Are you ready to go Sarah? I thought I would walk down to the library with you. I need to get another book to read."

"You go ahead. I have something I want to ask Jareth. I'll meet you down there in a little while."

Her brother gave her a cautious look. "Are you sure?" Although Toby had been falsely told that Sarah had been upset by a mouthy goblin that Jareth had taken care of, he had remained skeptical that Jareth had really been the cause of Sarah's anxiety. Sarah had worried that her brother would know her too well to believe what he had been told and she had been right. But that was not about to change her mind about letting him know the truth.

"Yes, now go on. You seem to forget, I am the older sibling. You don't need to baby me."

Toby rolled his eyes at her but didn't say anything in response.

Jareth waited until Toby exited the room with a warning glare to him. "What did you not want to ask in front of your brother?"

Feeling the tenseness still remaining from whatever had come to trouble him earlier that morning, Sarah almost regretted bringing up what she was about to. "I feel uncomfortable even asking you this but I need to know. Considering your feelings towards me, why were you so cruel and cold towards me in the past?"

Sarah patiently waited. She had only asked because the two different sides of Jareth she had come to know did not seem to completely mesh with the knowledge she had recently learned. It took him a little while to finally answer her, which in itself was unusual for the man.

"Not to bring up bad memories, but remember one of the last things I said to you was about your expectations of me?"

She nodded. "Yes, something about being tired of living up to my expectations of you." It took a moment for it to sink in what he meant. "So you behaved that way because you thought that is what I wanted?"

"Sort of. I have not always been the nicest person as you can tell by the way I have treated your friend Hoggle over the years…"

"Yeah…" Sarah was keenly aware of how badly he always treated her friend. "Wait, you actually called him…"

"Yes I know," he cut her off veering back to her question, "Anyway, you were enchanted by the book, which portrayed me as the way I originally presented myself to you. And while several of those flaws I do possess, I gave you the Goblin King you fantasized about from your book. And even once I realized you could only despise that person my own hurt and anger at myself, you, and even Toby resulted in my continued callousness towards you especially every time you were hurt or angered by my presence. And then later when I was not trying to be hurtful towards you, you often took it as such like what I said to you in the library."

"Which you were right about, just like you are right about what you just said," she supplied, "I have let my prejudgment of your past character cloud my beliefs of your intentions since then such as when you sent Hoggle to keep an eye over me because of Cassandra."

"And I gave you plenty of room to believe the worst."

She sighed. "But I did not have to." She leaned forth propping her elbows on the table. "At least things have changed between us now, but…"

She noticed how Jareth went to reach for her hand but reached instead for his goblet of water. "What Sarah? What were you about to say?" He took a sip before sitting it back down.

Sarah half-laughed at herself. "It's silly. I was going to say start over, but I think that is pretty much impossible. We have been through too much together."

A faraway gleam filled his eyes as they observed her. "We have. However, may I propose something else then?"

"Depends, what do you have in mind?"

A hint of a smile brightened his face. "Not too quick to agree. You have become wiser."

She shrugged. "The last time I agreed to something too quickly, my friend Cassie ended up poisoned and knocked out while I ended up kidnapped by the one who did it."

She could tell Jareth was suppressing a laugh at her little quip. "Well anyway, what I have in mind is let bygones be bygones. We don't forget. Only move forward without the guilt and the anger of everything from the past."

Sarah knew she would possibly have trouble with this but was willing to attempt it. "I like the sound of that and I will try, but are you certain you can move past the guilt of what happened at Cassandra's? It happened so recently and you were so unforgiving towards yourself…," she trailed off unable to form the words to finish her thought.

"That you don't think I can forgive myself." He took in a deep breath. "I will not lie to you Sarah. It still pains me what I did but that is hurt I am inflicting upon myself just like you admitted having done so over your wish to have Toby taken. While I will never completely forgive myself for it, I have already starting coming to peace with it. That is the most you can ask of me over that and the most I can give you."

"I understand." Feeling his pain, she wanted to say more, wanted to do something to help him. Wishing her brother away had been horrible enough, she could not imagine dealing with the hurt of having to inflict bodily harm on someone she cared about…even if it was to save them.

Solemnly, he nodded. Standing up, he reminded her, "Your brother is waiting and I have a few things I need to attend to." He pulled her chair out from the table. "If you have no qualms about it, I will walk with you as far as the throne room."

His voice was so detached that Sarah worried how he would handle his guilt once she left the Underground for good. Would it be for the better not having her around as a constant reminder of what had happened or would it completely consume him because she was not around? She knew how he felt about her and knew that becoming attentive to her brother had been the only thing that had aided her in coping with what she had done. It is why she worried that it would only become worse for him once she was gone.

Rising from the chair, she turned to him offering her arm out for him to take. "I would appreciate it. Thank you Jareth." She gave him a warm-hearted smile not concerning herself with whether he would read too much into it as long as it could possibly cheer his spirits.

A bleak smile was returned to her as he took her arm. "I will be okay Sarah but thank you for trying."

So he had seen right through her. Why did that not surprise her?

They walked to the throne room in silence, but Sarah felt that walking with him was indeed a comfort to him. When they reached the room, she turned to bid him farewell and express her gratitude for the short accompaniment.

Before she could even get the words out, a small goblin came racing by carrying something above its head.

"Looks as if someone has been up to some mischief already this morning," Sarah gleefully observed.

"Yes it does." Jareth frowned wondering what nuisance the goblin had been causing. "What…Sarah watch out…"

Feeling his fingers clasp her upper arms, he pulled her towards him pressing her snuggly against his body, wrapping his around her back as a group of goblins came chasing the first little one where he had fled.

"Where is he?"

"This is the only way he could have gone," another said.

"I want that back," one pouted.

"No it is mine," a fourth told him.

"Not if I get it first," proclaimed yet another.

They ran by so fast that Jareth was yelling after them threatening to throw them into the Bog of Eternal Stench if they did not watch where they were going.

His expression softened as he look down at her still pressed against him. "Sorry. They really are careless greedy creatures. I have warned them of this in the past but once a group gets started, it is hard to stop them in mid-progress."

"That's okay," she half-murmured feeling an uncomfortable ease in his embrace, his right hand having absent-mindedly moved to the small of her back when he was yelling at the goblins. Her heart was in her throat as a warmth flooded through her body right up to her cheeks.

Releasing her, he turned to look at where the goblins had run. "I really should make an example out of them before someone gets trampled."

She grabbed his arm. "Don't."

He laid a gloved hand onto hers. "I won't throw them into the bog, but I will have to do something about this before they actually do hurt someone with their antics."

"Do not hurt them though."

"I won't." He smiled with a teasing twist of the lips.

"Thank you." Her voice almost sounded questioning as she curiously observed Jareth's expression. "What is the smile about?"

He shook his head. "Just a thought that crossed my mind but the jest would probably make you ill at ease."

She couldn't help but to grin herself. "Please tell me. I want to know. I promise I can handle it now. After all friends tease each other and tell each other jokes." She never could contain her curiosity.

Something in what she had just said had caught Jareth off balance. He stared at her for a moment before almost stumbling over the words he said, "Friends? You consider me a friend?"

Sarah bit her lip feeling how he wanted more and how she was not able to give it. "Yes."

The hallway filled with a loud, deep laugh. "But you hated me so."

Now she laughed. "We just agreed to put all that behind us."

"We did. But that did not necessary imply friendship."

"With all you have done for me, how could I not consider you a friend?

He took both her hands in his. "That means a lot to me Sarah."

His sincerity touched her to where she almost forgot her original question. "So then, what were you thinking about earlier?"

The twist of his lips reappeared. "Okay, but you promised not to get upset. You challenge me to be a better king. You make me want to be better. Something I need. Something my kingdom needs. Something I have tried to do since you have been here and will keep trying to do even after you depart. And it is all because of your sweet nature of being so caring for others."

He had been fearful that she would read too much into what he had said which is why he had not wanted to tell her. However, it did not have the effect he feared. Instead, it made her feel good about herself and him. "I have notice the change in how you treat and speak of Hoggle. You are a good king Jareth. You have apparently always been despite your ways."

"I have tried Sarah. And although it will not be the reason anymore, Hoggle was more for you because he is your friend.

"And so are you now. And as such, if you ever need that little shove to do the right thing, find me whether I am still here or back where I should be."

"You would be okay with that?"

"Yes I would. Friends are always there for each other just as you have always been there for me even when I did not realize nor wanted it."

"Then you will be sure to see me. I will make certain of it and will hold you to that promise, friend."

She laughed as she turned to leave wondering if she had just made a precarious proposition. Could she really handle Jareth just popping up in her life? "I should really get going before Toby thinks something is wrong. See you later." She could feel his eyes watching her even as she walked away. Would he use the offer to his advantage in ways she had not intended in the offer?

He watched as she walked down the corridor. Friends? She now considered him a friend. That was something. At least she no longer hated him or was scared to death of his feelings for her. In fact, opening herself up to allow a friendship between them meant she was willing to admit that some part of her cared about him even if it might only be a way a friend would.

But that had not kept him from failing to disclose his full thought earlier when she had asked him what he had been thinking. He had been honest enough, but had left something out, a very important detail in what had crossed his mind. She challenged him to be a better king not only the way a queen should challenge her husband to be the best leader he can be, but the way a woman should challenge her husband to be the best man he can be. He had kept the queen and husband part to himself knowing the words would burden Sarah with his feelings.

Reveling in his new found friendship with Sarah, he closed his eyes cursing himself as he blindly thought of something he should have before.


	16. Chapter 16

This is Who is the Real Enemy? I changed the title to better suite where the plot was heading.

I know it has been awhile. Sorry about that, it has just been a busy, crazy time with a lot going on to where this had to go on the back burner, but I never forgot about the story and promise it will get finished.

The only dangerous thing about me putting it on holding is coming up with a few more twists and turns I had not originally planned.

But here it is and I have the next two chapters basically ready.

* * *

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Chapter 16

At the southern outside edge of the labyrinth, he stormed around with fast strides seeking the blasted dwarf. He was becoming frustrated in a hurry. Where was he?

Stepping on the metal object, he bent down to pick it up. It was made of two cylindrical shapes welded together with a handle to emit the spray.

Throwing the metal sprayer against the brick wall, the twisted fragments clattered to the ground.

How much of a fool he was not to have foreseen this.

He had already known it, before he had even left the castle.

Cassandra had taken the dwarf as bait for Sarah. His top lip pressed against his teeth as he felt a twitch of disgust in his flaring nostrils. So she was not just going to hide out in her castle. She wanted Jareth to come for her.

Straightening, he regained his composure as he turned towards the tower barely visible in the distance. Cassandra would rue this day. She would regret the first moment she ever saw Sarah.

Having felt sorry for what had befallen her, he had been patient with the woman all these years dealing with her nonsense. But that was before she had crossed the line. First Sarah and now Hoggle, who while he was not particularly fond off, was still a member of his kingdom, a creature under his protection.

Mercy would not be in the equation for what awaited the woman this time, but first he had to get Hoggle out of that black hole. Hoggle would not be treated nearly as pleasant as Sarah was. Cassandra had wanted something from Sarah, had wanted to gain her trust or at least cooperation for something, something that still remained a mystery to him. Sarah had told him about their exchanges, about what Cassandra had asked or talked to her about, but none of it fell together or even hinted at any true aim to what she was up to.

Jareth's forehead deepened with lines wondering what her motive was. What could be driving her to do something so out of the ordinary? The woman must be getting desperate to take the dwarf for Cassandra housed her former master's utter disgust for all creatures other than human, which would not be good for the dwarf.

He glanced back at his castle, wondering if he should tell Sarah.

No, he wouldn't. It was better for her not to worry. She would only blame herself.

But would keeping the news of what he was heading to do be worth the potential price? If Sarah saw this as him purposely deceiving her it could cost him their newfound friendship.

There wasn't the time anyway, he reasoned. For Hoggle's sake, he needed to act as quickly as possible. Sarah would have to understand that no matter how furious it might make her. He loved her but Sarah needed to still realize one thing. He had a kingdom he must run and protect in any way he saw fit even if that meant being deceitful or doing something dark and evil in the process.

Now he had to return for a brief period to his castle to collect the few things he would need while making certain Sarah never saw him. His concern over Sarah had lead him to be too rash the last time he had entered that miserable place Cassandra called home, almost costing Sarah her life. He would not make the same mistake this time.

After dawdling to think upon whether the offer of being there as a friend for Jareth could have been a mistake, Sarah finally opened the door to the library only to be immediately bombarded by a questioning Toby, "Where have you been?"

Turning her back on him in a motion to close the door, she rolled her eyes sucking in her bottom lip. She really did not want to do this with him.

She faced him with a pleasant expression as to not reveal anything.

"I told you I needed to discuss something with Jareth." To distract her brother she slid down beside him inquiring, "So what are you reading?" Peering over his shoulder, she saw a passage detailing a crew on a boat battling against a storm.

"You're not that quick Sarah." He snapped the book shut. "What was it you were talking about? Possibly, how long it will be before we can finally go home? I mean really, how much longer could it take to defeat this woman if Jareth is this all powerful Goblin King with magical powers? Or maybe it was about the reason why he seems to be doing almost nothing about it?" Toby gave her a pointed expression signifying exactly what his last words meant.

Scowling at him, she stood up crossing her arms ready to yell at him. But she didn't. "What I had to ask him is none of your business so you can butt out over that. And as far as trying to defeat Cassandra, the woman is devious with magical powers of her own. He cannot do anything until he can get her out of her own castle where he has a chance to use his powers against her." Angry with her brother, she turned her back on him pacing impatiently to the window looking out over the garden.

"Sheesh, in love with the guy much," Toby's voice sliced through her bristling her ire like spikes of a porcupine.

She flipped back around, her irritation becoming clear in her eyes as she clenched her fist. "You know nothing Toby."

"I know you are protecting him."

"No, he is the one protecting us."

Her brother was on his feet. He threw the book on the couch. "Then what happened in that castle? How did you get injured and why does Jareth blame himself? You won't even tell me."

Though furious at her brother, she still felt guilt at the passion of his plea to know what had happened to her. "It was not his fault. It was Cassandra's. Jareth just blames himself for this whole situation and yes when it happened he was furious at himself and still is for what happened." She had not lied to her brother for she did blame Cassandra and not Jareth. Although, she knew her brother would not be satisfied with the answer for it still told him nothing, it was all she would ever tell him.

"Well he should. Cassandra never would have taken you if he had not brought us here before."

"Then I am as much to blame," she spouted back, "for I was the one who wished you away. Don't forget that. If you really want someone to blame, then blame me for without that wish none of this would have occurred."

Toby's face fell as any lingering resentment from their argument drained away at the reality of her words. Sarah knew that he was aware of how she had never truly forgiven herself for her wish for Jareth to take him despite how she had managed to get him back.

A heated silence held in the air between the siblings until Toby admitted, "It's just I am ready to go home Sarah. I miss my life. I miss my friends. I miss mom and dad."

"I know. I miss them as well." She had to remember her brother was still just a teenager boy who acted strong to cover what was really going on. Walking over to him, she threw her arms around him. "Jareth is doing everything he can. We will go home soon."

"Is this what it felt like when your parents spilt and you didn't get to see your mother? If so I can understand why you hated me so."

"I never hated you Toby, not really. It just took what Jareth did to make me realize how much I love you." She sighed. "And no this is not what it was like for me. I was still able to talk to her. Besides, she was gone a lot before anyway because of her plays." But she had still been a good mother to Sarah. She loved her mother no matter what and did miss her and her father as well as her stepmother just as badly as Toby missed their father and his mother. She would do almost anything to be home where she could at least talk to them.

"Is that why you have come to care for him so? Because of what he did for you?"

Sarah blinked as she dropped her arms from her brother's shoulders. "I don't, at least not in that way. How could I? I appreciate what he has done and has tried to do for me, but that is it because regardless of the reasons why, he still took you." She turned towards the door, ready to be away from her brother and his questions. "I need to rest." Her hand grazed the door handle enclosing the cool metal.

"Do not use me as an excuse to run away. I always thought you kept men at a distance because you were afraid of having what occurred with your parents happening to you, but since seeing you with him, I now know I was wrong. There was more to it. You have feelings for him. And don't try to deny it because you do. If fact, I think you always did. That is why you continued to tell me the story. The man was willing to die for you. Don't be a coward. I may be just a teenager but even I realize that if you keep denying your feelings for him that one day, you will regret it."

She waited until he finished what he had to say before she pulled the wrought iron back to leave. "You are wrong."

Walking down the hallway, she found herself angry and resentful that her brother would presume so much as to try to tell her what was in her heart. How could she have feelings other than appreciation for that man? He had stolen her brother. He had given her a bespelled peach, which could be considered the equivalent of drugging her. He had taunted her and basically mistreated her. He had put her in the most beautiful dress she had ever worn. He had swept her off her feet in a dance like she had always dreamt about. He had pleaded for her not to leave him. And even when she had, he continued to watch over and protect her when a threat had presented itself to her. He had gone in a place where he could not use his magic to defend himself, where he could have died, to rescue her. He continued to protect not only her but her family. He had given her anything she had needed while being here including not pushing his feelings onto her when the reality of them had scared her.

She shook her head at those last thoughts. How had her reflections drifted from their intended purpose? She had been trying to count up all the reasons she shouldn't, couldn't have feelings for him, but instead she had found herself thinking about things that could only be consider good. In fact, since starting to see another side of him, Jareth had been someone any woman would be lucky to have the attention of.

Grabbing hold of the wall, she leaned against it.

Could her brother possibly be right? Could she actually be in love with Jareth? Is that why his feelings had scared her so?

She thought back to the moments they had experienced together. She had been enthralled by him before she had even met him, but what did that mean? That she had been a silly girl in love with a fantasy of being adored by a ruthless, but charming villain.

A slight grin pulled the corners of her mouth up as she had to admit the charming part was right on the mark for she had been immediately struck at his presence in her parents' bedroom. And the way he had leaned towards her with those smoldering come-hither eyes as he asked her how she liked his labyrinth. She could still feel the heat of that moment within her closing her eyes as her body nearly quivered at the mere memory of it.

There was certainly an attraction to him. She could not deny that. The way their eyes had met at the ball before he took her in his arms swaying her to the music.

And then there was the kiss on the last night of her play. Wait. No. There had not been a kiss. She had only thought it was him. But why had Jareth immediately come to mind that night? Was it because she had wanted it to be him? And then why had she gotten so upset? Was it because she thought he had tricked her or was it because she had been disappointed that it might not have been him?

And what about all that had happened since being here? Feeling so betrayed by Jareth's denial of his feelings for her to Cassandra. The back and forth tension with Jareth of wanting to know how he felt about her and then being afraid when she did know.

She peered down the empty hallway.

She had been a fool too blinded by what she thought could never be.

The throne room. He would be in the throne room. Jareth was her only thought as she practically ran down the hallway, footsteps echoing on the stone floor.

"Watch out." Hands closed over her shoulders. She looked up to see the dark figure before her. "You should be more careful Sarah."

After gathering the things he had needed, Jareth had used his magic to travel as close to Cassandra's castle as he dared. Hidden behind two huge boulders, Jareth pondered how to covertly breech the place to retrieve the dwarf as he observed the place. He knew Cassandra would house him in her dungeon, but all entrances would be guarded and Cassandra's shield against his magic would be at full strength.

Noticing a guard walk pass from the view a small crevice between the two boulders, Jareth smiled to himself. Why hadn't he thought of that before?

Knowing what he needed to do, Jareth positioned himself for when the man would pass again. Reaching out, his leather glove closed upon the man's mouth before wrestling him behind the boulder.

"Do not make a commotion if you want to live," he hissed in the man's ear, "You know what I am capable of." Jareth had no real intention of harming the man unless he was forced to.

The man nodded in comprehending agreement.

"I require your uniform." It had occurred to him how he had pretended to be a beggar to ambush Sarah and Hoggle before. He would do similar this time by using the guard's uniform to sneak into the castle right under their noses. He did not use magic to conjure one up, not this close to her castle. Besides, such an act would leave magical residue on the clothing.

Removing a gag from his pocket, he tied it around the man's mouth before giving him leave to remove his clothing. Once the man's clothes were off, Jareth took rope he had also had the notion to bring along to bind the man's hands and feet. Removing his own clothes, Jareth donned the tight black pants, black boots, black undershirt, armored vest and black helmet being careful to hide his mop of trademark blonde locks under it.

Looking back at the man, he bowed his head with a wave of his hand. "My apologies," Jareth laughed without humor.

Edging out from behind the boulder, he marched back and forth several times before making his way towards the back entrance of the building. Approaching the entrance, a guard cut him a suspicious glare. "Why aren't you at your post?"

Jareth glared right back at him. "And whose business is it of yours to question others' activities?"

The man did not like having someone question him back. His eyes became tiny slits. "You did not answer my question."

"And you did not answer mine either." Jareth gave back everything him was being given. He had to give off the air of a superior purpose and confidence. For a man not use to being questioned, but rather giving orders, this was not a difficult task for Jareth. "I have my orders. Do you want to question the general or the Mistress Cassandra?"

Falling silent, the man seemed to lose his tongue and will.

"I did not think so." Jareth pushed by the man heading into the dark entrance before him. He had gotten in. Now he needed to find Hoggle, the easy part. Getting out with the dwarf would be the harder.

Keeping vigilant for guards, he marched with a purpose for the stairs descending down into the darkness just glad that Sarah was safely in the castle this time.

Meanwhile, Sarah looked up at the caped figure. "Who are you?"

The man quickly looked away before she could see his face. "We don't have time for introductions and explanations. She comes."

"Who comes? What are you talking about?"

He stared down the hallway pointing to her. Cassandra.

Instinct told Sarah what she should do. "Jareth," she called.

"He won't be able to hear you."

"What do you mean? He can always hear me."

Before he even said it, Sarah knew that wasn't true. There had been one time he couldn't. "He's in Cassandra's castle." When she had been trapped there, she had screamed and pleaded enough times for him despite becoming well aware that he was not able to hear her.

Sarah looked to the stranger for help. "What shall we do then?"

"Hide. Cassandra has no power here, but she could is still dangerous. She already killed the guard to the tunnels."

At seeing her horrified look, the man explained, "I was too late to warn him. She mustn't find out I am helping you. Therefore, I had to make a choice."

"Are you saying you let him die so you could hide what you are doing from her?"

The blackness under the hood looked down at her and then up to where Cassandra was fast moving down the hallway. "We don't have time for this. Our lives are at stake." He grabbed Sarah's arm urging her onward.

Still wary of the stranger, Sarah glanced back to the person whom she feared more. In a rushed decision, she allowed herself to be ushered into the throne room.

"Now what? She will be here any moment."

"Up there." The man pointed to the staircase that led to the maze of stairs.

"We can't go that way."

Not listening, he began dragging her off in that direction.

Struggling with him, she pleaded, "No, that room is no good. We'll only get lost."

He flipped on her, impatience starting to be heard in his voice. "And so will she. It will keep us safe until Jareth can hear you again."

Submitting to the logic of his plan, Sarah quietly followed him hearing Cassandra's voice beginning to waft into the room from the hallway.

"Sarah, I know you are in there. I only want to talk."

"Hurry," she muttered, running up the steps faster than the man.

"Stop at the last step," he ordered, "We mustn't get separated."

Reaching her, they delved into the maze of stairs as Cassandra followed them.

"Why are you helping me?"

"A complicated answer that is best served for another time. For now all you need to know is that I do not want to see harm befall you. Now, no more talking, we do not want her following our voices."

While having more questions, she did as ordered feeling the looming doom of Cassandra's pursuit.

Following the man blindly through the labyrinth of stairs and hallways, Sarah worried that they would accidently bump into Cassandra after a while but they never did as the man still hidden in his hooded cloak directed them in a way that almost made Sarah believe he knew the twists and turns of this upside down maze of steps. She barely even saw glimpses of Cassandra only hearing her voice as she continued to call to her with a sickeningly sweet demeanor that only increased Sarah's fear.


	17. Chapter 17

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Chapter 17

* * *

Jareth walked along the empty cells. Arriving at the one on the very end, he saw the miserable creature hunched over on a narrow bench, a short chain shackled to his leg. A bowl of filthy water set on the floor just barely out of reach of the visually despondent dwarf. It disgusted Jareth to see one of his inhabitants reduced to such a state. It struck him in a way that made him loath himself for all the wrong he had done to those that were ruled by him especially those done to Hoggle for a lot of those had been out of pure jealousy for one they both loved. His nose curled up as he came to the decision that once he took care of Cassandra and her actions, his first action would be to do away with the Bog of Eternal Stench.

He would still keep the oubliettes. Prisons were still needed regardless of the circumstances and that might just be where he would house Cassandra that is if he did not kill her, a fate that he was beginning to deem too light of a sentence for her.

Jareth stepped to the barred-frame. "Don't be so gloom-face."

The dwarf's head struggle to rise under what little light illuminated the cell. "Your majesty?" The words were scratchy and Hoggle seemed to not be aware of reality. He must think I am a hallucination, Jareth thought.

"My, what a state you have gotten yourself in."

"Go away," he coughed turning away, "even now visions of him plague me."

Regretting his choice of words, Jareth laid his hand against the cold iron to check for spells. "No, I do not come to plague you, but to get you out."

The dwarf barely looked back over his shoulder.

Giving one of his signature wicked grins, Jareth smirked, "Hogwart." Hoggle continued to watch not yet convinced it was really Jareth. Detecting no spells, Jareth reached in his pocket to fish out something he had acquired a long time ago through means Cassandra did not know about.

A bit of light gleamed off the key as it came out of Jareth's pocket. Unlocking the gate, he slowly urged it back with only a creak before going to the pitiful creature.

"I am real Hoggle and I am going to get you out of here." Jareth reached for the shackle's chain to inspect the piece.

"Why? You hate me. Why come? This takes away your reason to be rid of me and have me out of Sarah's life."

Finding the manacle at Hoggle's ankle to be very poorly made, Jareth took the knife from his belt.

At seeing Hoggle started again, "So you just came to make sure the job was done."

"Only if you don't be quiet," Jareth muttered as he inserted the blade between metal using it as a lever. The pieces gave way, breaking but not completely separating. Lifting Hoggle's ankle he finished pulling off the metal anklet.

This act took an effect on Hoggle. "Why," he asked in a softer tone.

"It's my duty as your king." With a crooked grin, Jareth added, "And friends help each other."

Allowing Jareth to pull him up, Hoggle countered, "You don't consider me a friend."

After steadying the dwarf, Jareth lead him on through the dungeons. "I have never treated you well in the past."

Hoggle narrowed his eyes. "What do you want of me?"

"Nothing." Jareth stopped for a moment taking to one knee to meet the dwarf on his level. "Things have changed. Things will change. Sarah may leave but I will not go back to my old ways, not completely at least. I will not become Cassandra!" He stood up. "Hoggle."

Hoggle quietly followed him through the maze. Upon reaching the door at the top of the stone steps, Jareth instructed Hoggle, "Do not speak and keep your head down. Whatever happens, play along."

The dwarf nodded.

"Good. Now put your wrists together." Hoggle did as instructed. Jareth could tell that the dwarf was exhausted and dehydrated in his actions of blindly following such an order that Jareth would have been sure to question. He leaned down looping a rope he grabbed from below around Hoggle's wrists. "A prisoner would never be taken out without restraints. I will remove the rope once we are safe."

Jareth shoved open the door. "Come on you wretched thing!" He yanked at the rope just enough to make Hoggle stumble, but not so much to make him fall. Jareth did not like doing this, but at least it was not Sarah this time.

Marching past the guards at the exiting archway, Jareth complained, "No wonder she can't stand these dumb creatures."

The man moved to block him. "Where are you taking the animal?"

Jareth pushed him aside. "To carry out my orders of disposing of him. Mistress Cassandra is through with him. He is of no more use to her."

The man narrowed his eyes at Jareth. "Why is he being taken out alive then? He should already be dead."

He snorted in the man's face. "Because she did not want the filth's blood spilt in her castle. I am to take him beyond the boulders."

"Very well, carry onward." The man stepped aside allowing Jareth passage. Not glancing back, Jareth tugged gently on the rope. "Come." Moving forward, the rope pulled against him as he felt Hoggle fall with a thud to the ground. Turning around, Jareth took in the relish on more than one sentry's face. The guard had decided to have a little sport with Hoggle by tripping him.

Holding his temper, Jareth ordered Hoggle to his feet. Jareth's hatred for the guard grew as he laughed at Hoggle's pathetic attempts to get up, something Jareth might very well have done himself in the past. Acting impatient with waiting, Jareth marched over to Hoggle grabbing the rope to hoist him up. "Dragging your feet will not save you." Jareth shoved him in front of him to make sure the guard could not trip him again. "Let's go."

When they were out of hearing range, Jareth fumed, "Scum. The whole lot of them. With Cassandra's fall, so will this place and every devil in it."

Hoggle made an attempt to speak but his voice was so raspy that through the wind, Jareth could not make out what he was saying. "Wait until we reached the other side of the boulders and the stream."

Circling around the boulders, Jareth saw the man he had tied up earlier still waiting. "You may have your uniform back soon, but I suggest you use it no more less you fall with the rest of your comrades when the time comes."

Cutting Hoggle's wrists loose, Jareth led him to the stream helping the creature to get water followed closely by forcing him to stop overdrinking it, which would have made him sick.

"How long have you been captive?"

Hoggle shook his head. "Since Sarah sent me home yesterday. I thought I would catch up on my work. She appeared too fast."

"So Cassandra herself came for you?" Jareth rubbed his chin. "She is getting desperate."

Hoggle leaned down scooping up another handful of water. "She did complain about how long it was taking you."

Jareth's face hardened. "She was expecting me then?" It should have taken him by no surprise. He knew Hoggle had been bait.

"Yes, what's wrong?"

Something had been bothering Jareth the entire time. "It was too easy. She made it too easy." If she had been expecting Jareth, why had she left Hoggle so unguarded? With one swift hoist Jareth propelled himself off the ground. "She's gone after Sarah again." His fingers gripped Hoggle's shoulder. Hoggle looked up fitfully at the man before they both disappeared into the wind.

Materializing in the throne room, Jareth looked around before looking up at the set of stairs before him. "Smart girl," he murmured approvingly of how Sarah had chosen to avoid Cassandra.

"Get behind the throne and stay hidden."

Hoggle began to open his mouth to protest as Jareth swiftly mounted the stairs.

Jareth never looked back as he stated clearly the reason behind his decision. "Cassandra would only use you against Sarah. Hide." The dwarf was no match for Cassandra and he knew what his fate would be if allowed to followed, what he might inadvertent cause Sarah's fate to become with a bumbling action in trying to be brave for Sarah's sake.

Reaching the platform that could only be gained access from the stairwell and not magic, Jareth peered down to see if he saw either Sarah or Cassandra. Neither was visually seen but he could hear Cassandra's voice taunting Sarah from somewhere to lower left of where he stood.

He could feel Sarah's presence down there. She was still unharmed at least.

Able to use magic now that he was in the room, he called out, "Sarah, where are you? Let me know so I can reach you."

"So you have finally arrived Jareth," Cassandra sickeningly sweet voice rang out with bitter disappointment. "Did you like my distraction?"

Jareth didn't bother to answer her, waiting impatiently for Sarah to respond.

At hearing Jareth's voice, Sarah breathed a deep sigh of relief. The stranger at the same time turned to her, face still hidden, "That is my cue to leave."

"Wait, who are you?"

He just bowed. "We will meet again. I guarantee." Slipping through the nearest doorway, he was gone.

Sarah looked up at hearing Jareth's voice again, "It's okay to answer. I can get to you faster than Cassandra can."

"Jareth, I'm here," she called out not knowing what else to say. Should she describe where she was at, but then she didn't really know herself where she was at in this topsy-turvy room.

"Sarah," he appeared right behind her.

"Oh Jareth, thank goodness." She turned around throwing her arms around him.

He leaned her back away from him looking at her. Brushing her hair out of her face, he asked, "Are you okay? You are not hurt in anyway are you?"

"No. You?"

Cassandra voice rang from slighter nearer than she had been the last time, "Yes, ask your dear sweet Jareth what he has been up to?"

"Shut your accursed mouth, Cassandra. Besides, Sarah will know soon enough and she will know what you did." Jareth pulled Sarah's arms from his neck turning around to observe the room. "Cassandra, where are you hiding?"

"Here or there. I am not a fool Jareth. You have won this time with only a loss of your pathetic guard down below."

Sarah could see the fire in Jareth's eyes. This enraged him. "I will not lose any of my guards to you again."

"Matters not to me." Silence and then, "Sarah, ask yourself one question. If he was able to get into my castle to get your friend out, then why hasn't he done it earlier to kill me? Ah, but to kill me would be to set you free. Something he does not want to do."

"Leave or show yourself so he can be done with the task. I will listen to you not." Sarah had never wished for anybody death's before, but for once she was. She could feel the very coldness within her own heart at the thought of it.

"You should. Oh, you should. Goodbye Sarah. And, goodbye Jareth. You cannot fool her forever."

And the room became quiet.

"Can she get out," Sarah questioned.

"Not without a good bit of luck." Jareth reached for her hand. "But I am taking you out of here and making sure you are safe before I come back and search for her myself."

She sucked in her breath at the thought of him doing so knowing he would insist and it was best not to argue about it. "What did she mean by getting my friend out?"

Using his magic to take them to the top ledge, he explained as he led her out, "Come on. She should be trapped in there a while longer. And she meant Hoggle, but he is safe now. Don't worry. That is why I took so long. She planned all this perfectly for I never would have suspected her taking Hoggle, which is showing just how devious she is becoming."

"Which means she is getting even more dangerous." His silence voiced his agreement. "But at least there is another besides you that seems to be fighting against her and I believe he must be one of her own."

Guiding her down the steps, he questioned, "What do you mean?"

"There was a man helping me. He was in a hooded cloak and insistent that Cassandra not discover he was helping me, but he would not explain why other than not wanting to see me harmed."

He stopped for only a brief second, "Really," before continuing on, "Sounds like your theory is correct. If only we knew who he was…"

He squeezed her hand. "Whoever he is, I owe him a debt of thanks."

"Um, Jareth one more thing…," she started as she stepped off the bottom steps into clear view, but before she could finish she saw something emerge from behind the throne realizing her delightful admission to Jareth would have to wait a while longer. She was determine to tell him at least before he went back off in search of Cassandra.

"Sarah?" Her friend looked absolutely awful. He was filthy, bruised, and appeared to be about to passed out from lack of food and sleep. He clothes were torn and there was absolutely no sign of his precious jewels. She made a mental note to give him a gift of some once back in her own world.

"Hoggle…Jareth just told me…Are you okay?"

"I'm tough. I'll be fine."

Sarah smiled at her small friend, "Yes, you are," before lifting appreciatory eyes to Jareth, whose face was still set with dead seriousness.

"Hoggle, get the guards to start a search and inform Merfel that she murdered the guard below. I am going to make sure Sarah and Toby are safe first." As the dwarf went to leave, Jareth added, "And Hoggle, you are not to help. You should rest after informing giving them their orders."

"Toby," Sarah panicked at the thought that Cassandra would go after her brother. "He was in the library."

"Let's see if he is still there." Jareth formed a crystal ball. "Nope. Ahhh…ha, there he is. The kitchen area of course."

Sarah rolled her eyes as she started to head for the door.

Jareth grabbed her hand. "No time for that."

Suddenly, finding herself and Jareth in the kitchen, she cringed as she saw the a bar stool fall over hearing the thud against the floor. "Are you alright?"

Grousing at them, Toby crawled to his knees. "You could have come through the door instead of just appearing and startling someone like that."

"No time." Jareth reached a hand out to help the boy up.

Seeing the seriousness of his face, Toby questioned, "What is wronged?"

Jareth wasted no time. "Cassandra kidnapped Hoggle to lure me away from the castle. She managed to get through my defense and made an attempt to take Sarah again. I need to get you two someplace safe."

"Where are you going to take us," Sarah asked.

"You'll see."

He took them to his room.

"What are we doing here?" Sarah looked around in disbelief. "Why did you bring us here?"

Jareth turned to Sarah grabbing her shoulders. "Trust me. This is the safest place I know without taking you outside of the castle where Cassandra might follow and where she could use her magic. Stay here until I get back."

"Wait a second Jareth. There is something I must tell you before you go." If Jareth somehow got killed before she could let the truth be known, she didn't know if she could bare it.

"What is it Sarah?"

She glared at her brother who turned away from them. "I already know what you are about to tell him anyway."

Sarah leaned in towards Jareth for more privacy. "While I cannot say I love you yet, there is something there. I just had to let you know that I was wrong in being afraid to explore those feelings for you."

A frown beset Jareth's features, the opposite reaction to what Sarah believed she would see. "Don't tell me just what you think I want to hear." After waving a hand at the door he vanished.

"But that was not what I was doing," she yelled out. "I was telling you the truth about how I feel."

No response. How could he believe she was just saying it because she thought it is what he wanted to hear? Did he really believe she was either that appreciatory of him protecting her or that scared of him dying?

Toby walked over to her. "He is just focused on Cassandra and protecting you right now." He rubbed her arm before making his way over to the door.

Sarah smiled to herself. Her brother could be a real good guy at times. "I would not touch the door," she warned. She feared what defense Jareth made have put on the door.

But her brother refused to listen. He grabbed the handle. Sarah was relieved when nothing occurred.

"See everything is fine." He pulled at the door. "He locked us in!"

"And her out," Sarah reminded sliding down into the seat where she had now sat twice before. Oddly enough, she was glad to be in his room. It made her feel safe just like Jareth made her feel safe. But she worried about him. She knew he could take care of himself, but still Cassandra had managed to kill that guard without her powers.

What if something happened to Jareth?

"I do care Jareth," she whispered doubtful he was listening, "I really do."


	18. Chapter 18

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Chapter 18

* * *

Time passed and Toby took to poking around Jareth's room.

Sarah watched him as he roamed about tapping her foot on the floor and biting her bottom lip. "Could you just sit down? You're making me nervous."

Where was Jareth? What was taking him so long?

"I will in a minute." He drew open a drawer. "Hey, look at this. I wonder what it is."

Not looking, she told him, "You should put whatever it is back and stop snooping."

"I can't help it. I'm bored," he protested, "Besides it is the only book it here and the only thing to do besides wait."

He came over and plopped down in Jareth's chair with the book. Opening it, he complained, "It's blank. Why in the world would someone keep a blank book around?"

That caught Sarah's attention. "Let me see that."

Toby handed her over the book. "Here. It's not like there is anything to see."

Taking the leather-bound book, she ran her hand over the front cover. It was as beautiful as she remembered and sure enough the first page as well as each of the subsequent pages was blank. But there were not actually blank Sarah smiled to herself. So that is what Jareth did with it, she mused to herself. He had moved it to his bedroom. Glancing at the table where Toby had found the book, Sarah saw the inkwell sitting there tempting her with its glossy blackness. She wondered what else Jareth had written about her and if he had added anything recently during her stay.

Walking over to the table, she picked up the inkwell, but set it back down. These were Jareth's private thoughts, she surmised. Opening the drawer, she placed the book back within its keeping.

Seeing a hint of red at the back far corner that Toby must have missed, Sarah reached for it. To her delight, she discovered an identical copy to her book of the Labyrinth. It had been read so often it was as worn as hers.

Taking it with her, she tossed it to her brother. "Here is something to read."

She eased back down into her chair, her anxiety over Jareth building. "Please read it to me."

"I think this is a first. You always use to read it to me." While flipping open the book, he assured, "He will be alright Sarah."

"Thank you Toby."

Reading the book aloud, "And that is when…" Toby did not notice when Jareth appeared before the fireplace.

"Jareth." Sarah flew from her seat to his side. "You did not get hurt? Did you find her?"

Jareth smiled at her worry for him. "I'm fine Sarah, but no she managed to escape. I have tripled the guards around the castle and have cast more spells to keep her out."

"So she won't be able to get back in," Toby questioned putting down the book.

"Not if I can help it. I want her nowhere near Sarah or you." Balling up his fist, he pronounced, "This will not continue!"

"Okay, but can I go now? Sarah and I have been stuck in this room for nearly four hours and I really need to find a bathroom."

Jareth and Sarah looked at each other then busted out laughing.

Sarah shook her head. "Toby."

"Of course." Jareth still laughing threw open the door to his room. "Both of you are safe to go now. Just be careful. If you suspect anyone, call for me at once. She may have spies within, which is probably how she knew about that hidden entrance she came through in the first place."

"Good, see yah." Toby dashed out of the room leaving the door wide open in his wake.

Not being able to help herself, Sarah started laughing again at her little brother.

"It is good to see you laugh like that."

Seeing the contented expression Jareth had watching her, she acknowledged, "I needed it after everything that has happened. I don't think I have seen him run that fast in a while."

"So, you are okay?" He observed her with a look of concern that she would possibly be suffering in the aftermath of what had occurred that day.

Nodding her head, she confirmed, "Yes I am. How's Hoggle? He did not look right earlier. I did not press him at the time, but I think he was worse off than he claimed."

Jareth slumped down in the soft cushions of his chair. "Although he would not admit it, he is a little shaken from his ordeal, but otherwise okay. Nothing food and rest won't cure. Despite his protests, I ordered him to stay in the castle for the time being."

"That's a relief." Joining him in sitting down, she expressed her concern over him once again, "And you? Are you really okay?"

His eyes held a hint of something of a cross between amusement and tenderness as he looked at her.

"You already asked me that question and I have already answered you that I'm fine."

Her gaze drifted away towards the unlit hearth, "I have been sitting here fretting over you. I feared what might happen to you."

He studied her, disapproval of something in his eyes. "Is that why you claimed what you did?" Taking her hand before she could repute his accusation he added, "Situations like that make people say things that don't really mean. Things that while may be pleasant to hear at the time, can hurt later."

Sarah could tell she had wounded him with her words, but only because he thought them to be untrue. "Jareth," she squeezed his hand hard, "You don't understand."

He pulled from her gripped standing up. "What don't I understand? The fact that you have been telling me one thing and then all the sudden you were trying to tell me something completely different earlier just because you thought something might happen to me."

Bolting up to meet him face to face, hurt herself she bellowed back at him, "Exactly. You don't understand that you are misreading what happened and are not giving me a chance to explain what really occurred. What I have been trying to tell you!"

An awful, awkward silence overtook the room, neither of them speaking to each other, just staring the other one down until Sarah had enough. "Well do you want to hear the truth or shall I just leave."

When his answer was not forthcoming, she turned to go. "Maybe I was wrong."

Before she could reach the door, it gently closed. "Wait," his voice was soft, almost a whisper.

He walked up behind her.

"Don't go. What has happened has put me in a reasonably foul mood; one of my men now lies in a grave while that witch is still out there trying to get to you to do whatever the hell it is the crazy woman is up to." He paused. "Stay and I will listen."

Her back to him, she solemnly nodded, still upset at what had just occurred. She rarely remembered Jareth to curse. Hoggle was a different matter for the dwarf could cuss like a sailor as Sarah had learnt, but not Jareth with his suave, charismatic style.

She lightly placed a hand on his. "Sorry about your guard."

His jaw tightened. "There's nothing that can be done about it now other than getting him the vengeance he deserves." His eyes flashed with dark intent at the statement. He took a deep breath. "Anyway, I'm listening."

Her hand onto of his held more firmly as she shyly smiled at him, her head held erect. There was an oddly nervous confidence about her. He pressed his thumb against the top of her fingertips in an encouraging gesture.

"It was not you I was afraid of hurting but myself. I did not want to let myself care for you because I believed it to be wrong. I used the things that happened in the past to blind myself to the truth of my feelings for you." Her eyes lit with a deeper warmth than he had ever seen in them. "The moment I met you, you took my breath away even though I hated you because of the circumstances, but later…the dance…that secret smile in your eyes for me…opening your heart…being there for me even when I didn't want you to be…our conversations full of laughter and comfort…worrying about you and your feelings… and yes, even the fear that something may happen to you. All of it took me awhile to see, but I do now. I care about you Jareth. I think I may even love you."

His heart swelled so much that it felt as it was about to burst from his chest. Sarah loved him. Wrapping his unencumbered arm around her, he pulled her to his chest. "Sarah." He breathed in deeply trying to find the words to express the utter euphoria beating in his heart. "Sarah," he said once again.

Her hair fell back as her eyes drifted upward underneath her long eyelashes to meet his. He stopped searching for the words. His head bowed down to express in actions what his voice could not.

Sarah's hand moved from where it laid against his chest up to his face. Drawing back, she laid two fingers from her hand to rest over his lips. "Please, don't."

Ice stabbed at his heart. Had he imagined it all? Had his desired gotten the better of him?

Closing his hand over hers, he lifted her fingers away. "I thought…"

She did not let him finish. "I still need time." She smiled again. "Time to get to know the real you Jareth. I have only seen a glimpse of who you really are. Things have been happening too fast for us, or at least for me. Every time you have been drawn to my side it has been for an impending reason; Toby, Cassandra's over-looming threat, Cassandra actually taking me. I just do not want those to be the reason we are drawn together." She clutched his hand, still held by hers. "I want it to be because we belong together, not because events have forced us together."

Her heartfelt honesty of desiring a real true love with him made him fall in love with her all over again. "So do I Sarah, but considering the circumstances with Cassandra still out there and you trapped here, how is that going to be possible for now?"

"We take it slow and let things occur as they may." A glint shone from her eyes. "Such as maybe we could dine without Toby tonight."

Pleased with the idea, Jareth smirked as he teased, "Are you sure he won't mind?"

Sarah pressed her lips together for a moment suppressing something she found humorous in what he just said. "Well actually, he was kind of the reason I realized what I did today. He forced me to look at my own feelings by confronting me over them."

A pleasant laugh escaped from Jareth. "I knew I always liked that chap. I guess I am going to have to thank him."

"I might hold off on that for now." She scrunched up her nose. "He is somewhat unsettled that we are not home yet and blames you for it. However, after today's events, he may have calmed back down, seeing how dangerous Cassandra can truly be."

He pulled away. "Yeah, well maybe he's right a little." Before she could ask what he meant, something caught his eye. He walked over to the table between the chairs. Picking up the book, his eyes flitted to the drawer of the table off to the side and back. "Toby's been rambling, huh?"

His words pointing to Toby as the culprit made it only too obvious to her that he was wondering about a different book although.

"Yes," Sarah answered stretching out to take the book from him. Placing it back in its drawer, she lifted the other book out. "If this is what concerns you, I did not read it. It is yours Jareth. I have no right." Placing the book back in it original spot, she shut the wooden drawer.

Jareth walked over to the drawer removing the book. He handed it to her. "I give you the choice."

Refusing to take it, she pressed it back in his direction. "I don't need to. I know what I need to know."

Pushing it back to her, he stressed, "I want you to."

She wrapped her fingers around his holding the book. "Jareth, while I am glad you want to share it with me, now is not the right time. I do not need that pressure if we are going to try to build a relationship. We agreed to take this slowly. We can read it together in the future."

"When you are ready just let me know." Watching him as he replaced the book, she spoke up about something that had been on her mind, "I do have one question though."

She waited for him to return his gaze to her. "Have you added any entries since I have been here, I mean since you knew I was here and rescued me?"

The affection for her showed in his features. "Every day."

Expressing her contentment, "It's nice that everything is now in the open," she said looking very peaceful for the first time in a long time.

Something flittered across Jareth's eyes telling Sarah that Jareth was still hiding something, but decided to just let it go for now aware that she wasn't likely to tell him everything at times either, but basic honesty is what they needed for now. Too much honesty might indeed cause more issues then it was worth, but she did wonder what he was hiding.

Seeing the clock, she requested, "Why don't you have the workers in the kitchen fix us something to eat that way you can sit down and relax for awhile."

"I think I will."

Laying his linen napkin down on the table, Jareth looked at Sarah. "You know, we probably should have invited your brother to join us as it is only a late lunch and not dinner."

Sarah made a face. "Did you really want him here?"

The corner of his mouth curved upward as his eyes twinkled at her. "Not if I am being completely honest for now I selfishly have you to myself, which would be my choice anytime."

"Jareth." Her cheeks turned crimson.

"It's true."

Jareth stretched back into a lounging position. "I should change out of this guard's uniform. I actually meant to give it back to him. I doubt that will be happening now."

"I wouldn't worry about it. He probably has more. Besides it serves him right for following that woman. And another thing..."

"Yes," he curiously asked when she did not finish, he hands propped behind the back of his head.

She blushed again, feeling almost like she was on a date with how nervous she was becoming. "It looks good on you."

He raised an eyebrow giving her a devilish grin. "Really? How so?"

She threw her napkin playfully at him, which he caught as he chuckled. "That's not an answer."

"Oh you, I mean it looks good, but if you must hear me say it, then yes it makes you look very…well…very appealing." She refused to say the word that really came to mind. She loved how sexy it made him look, not that many of his outfits didn't, but there was something in particular about the uniform itself. She did not know if it was the all black with the tough leather vest thing he had going on or the man in uniform that had been driving her crazy throughout their meal.

"Just you liking it on me would generally be enough reason to keep wearing it except it represents those that follow and stand up for Cassandra's beliefs and policies, those that serve her wishes."

Jareth's words made the outfit lose all appeal for Sarah while making the man behind the outfit that much more appealing. "Then please destroy it when you do for you are better than that."

"Why wait?" Jareth stood up and in a flash he was in gray leggings and a loose white shirt that hung open at his chest with his necklace dangling. The black uniform guard lay in his hand as he walked to the fireplace. He tossed it in watching it burn.

Rising from her seat, Sarah joined him seeing the cloth turn to charred ashes. "I was wrong."

"About what?"

"I like this look a lot better. It suits you Jareth, the Goblin King."

He put an arm around her as they continued to watch the flame.

"So what now," she asked as the last of the black garb disappeared.

He offered her his hand, "Join me for a walk?"

"I'll be delighted." She laid her hand in his. "But what about Cassandra? We now know she can get in if she is determined."

"Not with the additional spells. Besides, I need to just relax the afternoon," he explained opening the door for them. "For tomorrow, this ends." His eyes flashed menacingly.

If it wasn't for his hand's gentle shove on the small of her back, she would have stood there frozen in her worried anxiety of what was to come.

"Jareth…"

"Shhh…," he urged her onward, "That is for me to worry about."

"But Jareth, I don't want you to get hurt."

With the impish curving of his lips he teased, "I assure you, I will try my best for reasons of my own not to let that happen."

"Jareth." She wanted to scold him but found herself caught by his roguish charm.

"Just be careful."

"I will." He kissed the top of her head.

By the time Jareth walked Sarah to her door later that evening after partaking in supper, he still had not mentioned any detail of what he was planning for the next day. Sarah wanted to ask but knew he would not tell her, not that knowing would help to quiet her fears.

"Will I see you in the morning or will you be gone by then?"

"I will be leaving before daybreak."

"Oh," she sighed dropping her face in disappointment that she would not at least be able to see him off.

The cool leather of his glove slid under her chin gently guiding her face up to meet his unusual eyes that always seem to pierce into her soul. "You will see me before I go. I will awake you so I can see those innocently bewitching eyes that first drew me to your side before I leave."

"Just my eyes?" She batted them at him. "You mean to wake me only so you can see my eyes? But if that is what it takes to bring you safety back, then my eyes must suffice."

Her jest brought the twinkle to his eye that she had so grown to adore, seeing more and more of it in the time they had spent together all afternoon. "View I can my sleeping beauty, but not her eyes if she dost sleeps. In her slumber, they be not had unlike her face, lips, and hair which are still mine to behold when the other is withheld."

The flush burned her face at Jareth's poetic way of telling her that regardless of her sleeping state his need to see her before he left would have been undertaken even if she had not sought to see him off herself.

"Jareth…," her words became caught in her throat for he had truly left her speechless.

"Goodnight Sarah." He pushed the door open nudging her into the room smiling at her with the most devilishly gorgeous smirk revealing how satisfy he was to have left her so speechless before he pulled the door closed behind him leaving her mind to float aimlessly in the aftermath of his amorous banter.

* * *

Okay, I do not attempt to write poetry in anyway so Jareth's words are just words and not an attempt at real poetry.

The purpose of this chapter was to let Sarah finally admit her feelings while having a little flirty banter so that things would automatically go from one extreme to another. Besides, the truth of the kiss in the play is allowed to linger just a little more even though Sarah has always suspected it was really him.

The next chapter will only began the final face-off with Cassandra...her true motive will be revealed plus more...


	19. Chapter 19

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Chapter 19

* * *

She was at peace dancing with Jareth. There were at the party where they first danced together. Nothing could be better.

"Sarah," a voice called. _Nooooooo!_ Resentment filled her at someone trying to interfere. The person patted her arm speaking in a distance voice trying to pull her away. But she did not want to leave where she was. She was happy and content. She was with him.

"Sarah," the voice persisted. "Sarah, we do not have long before I will need to go. Wake up Sarah."

"Jareth," her voice groggily asked as she looked at him in her dream. But he wasn't speaking. No the voice was coming from elsewhere, but it was still Jareth's voice.

"It's me. Wake up Sarah. I need to leave soon."

Tilting her head she looked at the Jareth within her dream. In a corner beyond them watching the two lovers she saw the dark hair beauty. Cassandra… Reality flashed back to her.

Forcing her eyes open, a glowing crystal ball hovering over her providing the only light in which she saw what she seeked.

"Jareth, I wish you did not have to go."

He brushed her hair back, "I have no other choice. I have to end this Sarah."

Pushing herself up, she begged feeling the silliness of an action that would have no real bearing on the outcome of the day's events, "Promise me you will come back to me."

He gave her a reassuring smile, but his eyes betrayed him, "I will."

Throwing her arms around him, she cried, "You will come back. You have to. We have only just found each other the way we were meant to. I cannot lose you again."

He held her close in his arms. "You won't Sarah. But you must promise me one thing as well."

"Anything."

"No matter what you see or hear, do not leave the safety of the castle. You must remain safe for me."

"I promise." What could she possibly do to help anyway? She was no match for Cassandra or her soldiers. The only thing she could do was to give Jareth the peace of mind he needed. She hated feeling useless like this.

Silence encompassed the moments until he whispered, "Sarah, I have to leave."

Drawing back he stared into her eyes.

Tilting her chin up, she parted her lips waiting for his to press upon hers as she knew he would do, as she wanted him to.

Disappointment overwhelmed her as his lips met her cheek.

"Jareth." She leaned forth to give him that which she had desired, the same thing he surely must have yearned for as well.

"I must go now." He vanished leaving only his voice trailing behind to tell her. "I love you Sarah. Remember, everything that you wanted I have done. I will always return to you for you have not only turned my world upside-down Sarah, you are my world."

"I love you Jareth," she screamed out after him not sure if he even heard her, "You hear me. I love you."

"Please do not get hurt," she whispered afraid for him. Despairingly she fell back against the pillow.

Shaking her head, she crawled out of the sheets knowing that she would never succumb to the darkness with Jareth gone as he was.

She regretted preventing him from kissing her before wishing she hadn't, wishing she hadn't wasted so much time not realizing that she loved him.

Roaming the halls that were not yet inhabited this earlier in the morning, she surrendered to her dreaded thoughts. Would Jareth be okay?

Jareth had already been in Cassandra's castle twice before and came out unharmed, so why did she have such a bad feeling that something was going to go wrong? She loved him and knew something had been wrong with Jareth's actions earlier. He had not acted right. His eyes had betrayed his normal confidence. And it scared her. Jareth's fear only stood to make hers worse than she knew it already would have been just knowing what could possibly happened, what had almost happened to her.

She meandered through the different floors of the quiet place until seeing the light drift through the windows of a balcony. Stepping out onto the stone terrace, her eyes were drawn to the direction Cassandra's fortress would lie in the distance beyond what she could see. Having been reluctant to seek such information from Jareth, she had pried the intelligence from Hoggle.

Frowning, she knew this would serve no purpose. She could not see Cassandra's. And if Jareth, no she corrected herself, when Jareth made it back, he would not come that way. He would travel with his magic.

Turning away, she paused. Her eyes moved to something she prayed she had not just seen.

Toby. What was he doing out there? Gripping the railing, she leaned further out over the balcony. It was. Her brother was walking in the distance far beyond the safety of Jareth's castle.

What is he thinking? Jareth told us not to leave the castle. But she knew what she must do. I cannot call for Jareth. He would not hear me if he is already in the progress of sneaking back into Cassandra's. I have to go get Toby back in myself before something happens to him.

Closing her eyes for merely a second, relief that Jareth had revealed the secret shortcut to her that she could see from where she stood washed over her.

She took off running through the castle and the maze reaching the outer wall of the labyrinth in less time than she could have ever imagined, but not without causalities. She had fallen any number of times knocking over creatures and objects as she ran. Running out from between the two stone masses, she screamed at what she saw.

"TOBY! LOOK OUT!"

Cassandra's guards were circling him from different vantage points slowly closing him. He looked up at her in utter shock before looking from side to side before turning to see Sarah running full sped towards him.

"SARAH! RUN! JUST GET OUT OF HERE! DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME!" As they grabbed his arms and one went running toward Sarah he screamed again, "RUN!"

To help to had to get away. She fled back into the labyrinth going straight into the heart of the maze. Hearing a groan, she turned to see the man fall to the ground right at the entrance from where she had come. She had no idea what had happened to him, but kept moving deeper into the maze determined to get back to the castle, to safety.

Seeing the castle gates, she breathed a sigh of relief at viewing what would be her sanctuary.

"Not so fast Sarah."

Her feet skidded to a stop as the black-headed witch appeared in front of her.

Clicking her teeth, she taunted Sarah, "I would have thought Jareth would have warned you about leaving the castle."

"He did," she defended.

"So where was he to stop you for doing something so dangerously stupid?" Cassandra stepped close to her. "To let you come after your brother instead of Jareth doing so, very unlike him."

Sarah remained silent. Saying anything could endanger Jareth's plan or life.

"Well, it does not matter." Cassandra's fingers closed around her arm and Sarah did not resist. Cassandra had use of her magic and she had her brother. "Jareth will be miserable when he figures out that I have both your brother and you."

Taken to Cassandra's castle, Sarah was walked into Cassandra's main hall where the guards stood with Toby lurched over, kneeling on the floor. A small wail escaped Sarah as one of the guards grabbed Toby's hair wrenching his head back. "Show some respect to Our Lady."

At seeing his sister being guided by Cassandra, Toby's eyes strained outward before flaring with a heated anger.

"Very good Fredrick."

Cassandra let go of Sarah's arm. "Stay put or your brother will pay the consequence." She moved to where Toby knelt on the floor. "We have not been formally introduced." She drew a few fingers languidly across his cheek. "I am Cassandra."

Cassandra pulled a hand back. Seeing what she was about to do, Sarah screamed, "NO!" Sarah ran against an invisible wall as Cassandra threw a hand up.

Pressing her hands against the wall, Sarah could only watch as Cassandra's hand flew out to strike Toby.

But the contact did not come, at least not to Toby's face. Fredrick winced in pain as Cassandra backhanded him.

"You fool! This is not the boy!"

Standing there with the red pouf on his cheek, he stammered, "What…what do you mean my lady? How could this not been him? We watched him the entire time."

She glared at the man before responding, "You know nothing of magic, but I suppose this may work out even better."

"Jareth," Sarah involuntarily gasped. That is why Toby was out there. It was her brother, but Jareth. Jareth had wanted them to capture him, to bring him into the castle unknowingly.

He glared up at her. "You have me. Let Sarah go."

"I don't think so Jareth."

"And why not? What could you possibly need her for now?"

Leaning down, she spoke his name, "Jareth." She crinkled up her nose. "This doesn't work. Change yourself back first before I can seriously talk to you."

"You know I cannot."

Laughing, Cassandra threw a hand up. "Oh yes, that is right." She waved a hand and Jareth's true form was revealed.

"Now the reason I cannot let Sarah go is because she is the cause of all this. Her selfish ways are destructive to many and needs to be stopped." Giving Sarah an evil look, she continued, "She crushed you when you admitted your feelings for her, she destroyed me by taking your love, and she ripped away yet another's happiness."

"What are you talking about?" She felt miserable about Jareth's feeling remembering the torment in his face from what she had done. "Yes I regretfully hurt Jareth because I knew no better, but I cannot help his heart and I do not know what other you could possibly be speaking of. The only others here that I know are creatures that you have nothing to do with."

"Not true," a somewhat familiar male voice sounded throughout the room as a man walked in.

A vague recollection of who he was struck Sarah for she would never truly forget this man that she despised for such a long time. The loathing had vanished over the years until now.

"What are you doing here? Haven't you done enough damage? How is it possible that you are even here?"

Coming to her, he took hold of her chin, "I live here. I always have…well with the exception of being forced to leave." He walked over to Cassandra giving her a peck on the cheek. "But I could never completely abandon Cassandra like Jareth tried to force me to do. He tried to take me away from her just like he tried to do with your brother and you."

Sarah saw a darkness in Jareth worse than any she had ever seen before. His features drew in tight stern lines as his cold eyes flashed black. "You have been banished from this land for a reason!"

Ruben glanced back at Jareth shrugging. "If you only knew Jareth the truth."

"I know you killed my father! I found you with the blood still fresh on your hands!"

Sarah was horrified. "Oh Jareth…"

Ruben walked over to her. "You are as lovely as your mother my dear, but there is still much to the story you don't know. The man was not only Jareth's father, but my stepfather, the king of the land who thought he could have any woman. That included my married mother."

"She had already left your father by then."

Ruben whipped around at Jareth's words. "How would you know? You were not even born yet."

"No brother I wasn't."

Sarah gasped.

Ruben glanced back at her as Sarah met Jareth's eyes. "Surprised Sarah?"

She looked between them both feeling sick to her stomach. "Jareth, how could you?"

Jareth was looking at her like she had lost her mind. "Sarah…"

A callous laugh erupted from beside her. "He doesn't know."

"Know what," Jareth growled, "Ruben, what have you done this time?!"

The man shrugged, "Basically the same thing your father did, loved a married woman…,"

"Mother was no longer married," Jareth said through gritted teeth.

Ruben just stared at him. "Not legally, no, but that does not matter. Father would have persuaded her to come home."

"What through beating her the way everyone said he did," Jareth snarled.

"Shut up," Ruben yelled advancing towards him.

"Ruben, stop," Cassandra stepped out placing herself between the two men, "Finish your story. Jareth should know what else Sarah has done, how she has hurt you as well."

Nodding he continued, "As I was saying, I became involved with a married woman who had a young child at home. The woman was wonderfully talented. We met doing a play together and were happy, but her brat of a daughter caught us kissing when her husband showed up to surprise her one night." He turned, hatred seeping from his eyes. "She could not live with the hurt she had caused and ended things to try to save her family, which she was not able to do. I heard about the divorce. I know he remarried leaving her alone after everything she gave up."

"Don't blame my father. He tried. She tried." Sarah wished she could reach out to slap the man who had caused her so much pain as a child. "They fought for it but your affair had caused too much damage."

"Including leading you to my little brother…"

Sarah turned to Jareth, an utter bewilderment on his face. "I did not know Sarah. I promise you I didn't, but now I know how I came to find you. I was tracking him down, knowing he had snuck back in and out of the kingdom, when I came across you in the park. He must have been there."

"My mother was there that day," Sarah muttered, "She had just left."

"She had. I had wanted to talk to her one last time but there you were."

Sarah peered over at Cassandra, which was watching her with a cat-like stare, enjoying what she knew was to happen, whatever Ruben and she had planned. "But what does Cassandra had to do with this."

"What I have already told you Sarah. I want Jareth." She placed a hand on Jareth's shoulder, which he struggled to remove.

"That is not going to happen," he told her, "Besides I always thought it was Ruben you had a crush on. You followed him around all the time when we were little."

She chuckled. "Ruben's my brother Jareth. I followed to get out of the castle so my father wouldn't beat his bastard child he never wanted by a servant he did not love and then there you were, so sweet and nice to me all the time."

Sarah looked on as Jareth appeared lost. "How did no one…why didn't you ever tell me Ruben?"

Ruben's voice cut through the air. "My father kept it well hidden. He had Cassandra's mother killed to keep it a secret and threatened me what he would do to not me, but my little sister if I ever revealed the truth. He kept her here to make sure she would never tell. What he would say I wonder to know she ended up mistress of this place?"

Cassandra's eyes glinted as she looked at her brother. "Should we kill her now? Her brother matters not."

"No, he doesn't." The glint in Ruben's eyes matched his sister's as a knife appeared in hand aimed towards her middle.

"Ruben! Don't! I am begging you. Stop," Jareth pleaded loudly with his brother, "Please! Ruben, we are still brothers. Please, don't do this."

Ruben moved forward as if he did not hear him.

"Ruben, kill me instead and let her go. That will give her more pain than she can bear. By killing her you will end it too quickly for her."

"Be quiet, Jareth," Cassandra cooed in her sickeningly sick voice. "The sooner this is done, the sooner we can be together. Go on Ruben. Go on."

Ruben came still nearer. Jareth was bound without use of his magic.

And Sarah was still trapped helplessly inside the invisible walls Cassandra had put up forced to watch her death approaching. She could see the knife glimmering as he came nearer and nearer.

* * *

Okay, a little twisted I know, but no one is actually related to the person they are in love/obsessed with. And Cassandra was not lying like Jareth thought, or at least so it seems. I will explain my idea and the age concepts later.


	20. Chapter 20

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Chapter 20

This chapter is a little short but after rewriting it a couple of times because I was not liking the result I finally realized that I was trying to put too much in one chapter and needed to space things. As a result, I cut the rest of this chapter in rewriting it one again. In doing so, I finally ended up with the chapter the way I wanted it ending it on a more dramatic note. Most of the later concepts that were cut, one which of course was the kiss in the play, will still occur only they will be in chapters 21 and 22 instead of trying to doing too many transitions in one or two chapters.

* * *

Petrified with fear, time slowed for Sarah. She had already lived this nightmare once when Jareth had come after her with a knife and now his brother was doing the same. Only this time it was not an act, it was real.

Maybe it had always been her fate to die in this castle? Pressing her hands against the invisible barrier one last time pushing and kicking at it, she made a vow to herself. If she was going to die, she was going to die with dignity. If given a chance she would fight for her life, but she would not beg for it. Squaring her shoulders, she took once last longing glimpse of Jareth still held by force. She would have begged for Jareth's life or her brother's or any of her friends', but not her own. She would not give them the satisfaction of it.

Looking straight into his eyes she told him at long last, "I love you Jareth." Why had it taken her so long to say those words? At least she had opened her heart to him before this letting him know that she had indeed cared about him, but she had wasted too much time and now there was to be no more.

He stared back his eyes saying the same as he shook out of fear and desperation. The guards tightened their restraint on him as he fought even harder to get loose. "Ruben, I am begging you. Stop this! If you ever really thought of me as your brother, you will not do this!"

Sarah glared at Cassandra, an evil gleam staring back, before she moved onto Ruben shooting daggers at him, hatred seething for her the likes which she had never known. What had her mother ever seen in this man?

As Jareth continued his anguish pleas to his brother, Ruben paused for a fraction of a second as he closed his eyes. His head tilted slightly towards his brother behind him before he opened his eyes moving forward once more. Had Jareth's pleas almost reached his cold heart? Should she forget her pride and beg using his relationship to Jareth and his possible remaining feelings for her mother as leverage?

"Ruben, think of how this will hurt my mother." The man once again stopped for just the briefest of moments as he looked at her. There was the same caring sadness within them that she too often saw in Jareth's eyes. He looked as though he wanted to say something in reply.

But no reply came as Cassandra's voice echoed across the room screaming, "NOOOOO….,"

The shrill pitch took hold of Sarah's focus as she turned to witness what had made the woman scream so. Jareth had somehow managed to wrestle free of the two guards holding him at bay knocking Cassandra in the floor as he had barreled passed her in his process to get to Sarah and stop Ruben.

Thundering at full pace at Ruben, Sarah watched as Ruben raised the knife in Jareth's direction.

"Jareth! Be Careful!" But it was too late as Jareth slammed right into his brother knocking them both sprawling across the floor and into the nearest wall.

Hands still bound, Jareth rolled off the man, his torso covered in blood, his legs still kicking at the man lying beside him on the floor also covered in blood. Her hands pressed against the barrier, Sarah looked on in horror at all the blood. Whose blood was it? She couldn't see the knife. Where had it gone?

"STOP!" Cassandra had just reached them. She threw up a hand sliding Jareth a short distance from Ruben. And it was then that Sarah finally saw it. The knife was sticking out of Ruben's gut. Jareth was okay, she breathed in silently to herself, feeling a slight sting of guilt at her relief that it was not Jareth but another dying.

"No, no, no," Cassandra cried slumping down beside her brother. "Ruben, you can't leave me. You can't."

"I'm sorry." He grabbed his sister's hand as he struggled to turn towards Sarah and Jareth, who now lay not but a few feet from her. "I'm sorry, I failed."

His eyes closed while still staring at his brother. Jareth pressed his eyelids shut, his jaw tightening before reopening them to glare at his brother's dead body.

"How could you Jareth? How could you do this," Cassandra screeched coming at Jareth. She pulled his head up by his hair as he tried to throw his body at her. "He was your brother!"

"Leave him alone. It's me you want dead!" Sarah tried her hardest to draw Cassandra's attention away from Jareth. "You hate me remember! Come on Cassandra, let's finish this. Just you and me! Or, are you afraid?"

"Don't worry. I will get to you later," Cassandra sneered.

"But first," a fresh blade flashed into Cassandra's hand, "A blood debt for a blood debt." The sharp steel sliced into Jareth's side. Jareth emitted a tight-lipped grunt as Sarah beat on the clear walls of her prison. "NO!"

But as the knife came out of Jareth, the side instantly healed up with no lingering blood on either Jareth or the blade. Sarah didn't understand. Where was the blood? What had Cassandra just done? Had she changed her mind about killing him or was she still too obsessed with Jareth to let him die? It didn't matter. She hadn't killed him.

Cassandra held the knife up to Jareth's face. "Oh, you will die, but very slowly as you watch while I take everything from you. You took my brother and my heart Jareth. Now you must pay. First, I will take your kingdom killing all those nasty little creatures you and your father before you protected. Then, I will kill her," she pointed the knife at Sarah, "while you watch her die in the most excruciating ways I can find. Days will pass in which you beg me to finish her just to end her torture."

She could see Jareth's nostrils flaring as he set his jaw in a defiant, hard, black-eyed glare, the likes which she had never seen before, upon the woman. "YOU…WILL…DIE," Jareth spoke in a measured hollowed tone that would have scared the un-holiest of nightmares.

"We shall see," Cassandra responded as she stood up throwing his head into the floor with a slight thud. "Take them to the same room she was held before. I want Jareth to witness the destruction of his kingdom." Her beady eyes settled on Sarah. "And do not think I forgot about your brother or your friends. You will have the pleasure of watching them die one by one," Cassandra coldly curled her upper lip, "your brother save for last."

Horrifying images of Toby beaten and bloody flashed in Sarah's mind, her mouth opened in soundless terror.


	21. Chapter 21

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Chapter 21

* * *

The soldiers heaved Jareth off the floor, a sword placed at his throat as the barrier around Sarah dissolved allowing her to be seized by the arms.

"Try anything, either of you, and your lover dies," Frederick warningly snared at them. Taking charging, he pulled Sarah out of the room with him, a knife held to the exposed flesh at her neck, an assurance that the man a few feet behind would continue to mind his actions.

Adjourning the procession in front of Sarah's former lodgings in the castle, Frederick signaled for one of his men to open the door. Jareth was shoved forcefully through the door where he collided with the floor, rolling on his arm to his side, twisting to keep sight of Sarah, who had been thus retained outside the door.

Frederick brought his lips down to her ear. Sarah was fully aware that Jareth could not hear the man's words, but it mattered not, the intentions were clear as the man whispered loud enough for his men to hear and jeer at his words. "When we return, I will ask Mistress Cassandra if we may have a little fun with you before she takes her turn in torturing you to death. She will delight in having you repeated soiled by every man in her army. Might even force _King -_the man sneered disdainfully- Jareth to watch it."

The men heckled as they threw Sarah into the room her knees striking the stone floor falling face forward on the palms of her hands. Jareth did not mutter the curses that stirred within him but kept a stony silence as he met the eyes of several men, each averting their attention, a fear in what they saw within those mismatched promises of a ghastly demise. He turned to Frederick at last, savoring the effect.

"SHUT THE DOOR!," Frederick barked unreasonably loud, his fear betrayed. The door slammed shut, bolted from the outside.

"Are…are you okay? The knife, your side." He did not speak. Sarah, having jumped to her feet, began tugging at his ropes worry building at Jareth's non-response to her. "Jareth?" Still no answer. "Jareth, speak to me!"

"They will never touch you," his glare still on the door. Sarah did not want to see what was in Jareth's mind right now, knowledgeable of what appalling horrors must lay there for those despicable pigs.

Ropes falling away, Sarah grasped his shoulders. "I heard similar before. I learned to ignore their vile comments. And if it ever came down to it, I cannot say whether my disgust and fear of what they planned to do would drive me to slit my throat first or my instinct to survive would force me to endure it while trying to fight them off." Or rather being too scared to end my own life in order to stop it, she thought, not wanting to openingly admit to Jareth her potential cowardice.

His rubbed his wrists where the ropes had bound him. Securing the sides of her face, he forced her to look directly into his eyes. "Survive, always survive. Never stop fighting until you must. Few things are truly worth dying for."

She could read it in his eyes. She was worth dying for. He had risked his life more than once to protect her. And she had no doubt that despite his dislike for Hoggle that he still would have rescue the dwarf from Cassandra's clutches even if he had never known Sarah. He might claim it was his duty to, but it was more than that. He cared for those of his kingdom. One of those few things he considered worth dying for was in trying to protect others, especially those you love.

Driven by emotion, she pressed her lips to his. He hesitated for only a moment before his passion confirmed a deep-seated suspicion. Taking her in his arms, he kissed her until she had no breath left. She melted in him, never wanting to let go.

Breaking off the kiss, he stared at her, uncertainty in his eyes, "Sarah, I need to tell you something."

"No, you don't," she hugged him whispering breathlessly in his ear, "I always knew it was you."

He nuzzled her neck. "Are you mad?"

"Furious," she leaned back, her arms still wrapped around his neck, a smirk contouring her mouth, "that I had to wait so long just to know, not because of the truth, but because of you," she kissed him again whimpering at his ardent response.

"You were outraged at even the thought of it that night. You hated me so," staring into her eyes, his words seem more for him than for her.

"I think I was more mad at myself at wanting it to be you." Before she could utter more, he kissed her long and deep savoring her and her words.

The words flooded out of her like an open gate, "This…this morning I wanted you to kiss me…" She needed him to know. She couldn't explain why, but she needed him to know, to know how she had been longing for his touch, for his embrace.

"I wanted to, but I couldn't. I dreaded how you would react to my deception. I didn't want to leave you angry with me, not in case…"

She turned away. She could not look at him as she said it, "Not in case you failed to come back."

"Yes, but now," he threaded a finger under her chin lifting her head from his shoulder letting his hungry lips take hers once more. "I will never fail to kiss you again. I love you Sarah more than you can even know."

With a wisp of a smile, she lovingly claimed, "I think I do since you were insane enough to steal my brother once so long ago just because I wanted you to."

"And I would do it again." His devilish grin suggested that he would indeed if she asked him to.

"Only if it is to get him safely away from that mad woman." She let her hands fall from his neck holding his shoulders. "How are we going to get out of here? We have to. Toby is out there. And all those others."

"Things didn't go as planned." He looked off at the door. Did he not have an idea how they would get out, Sarah wondered. He had probably thought they would throw him believing he was Toby in the dungeon as they did Hoggle for Cassandra had already played her hand in the castle and had no need to be overtly nice to Toby as she had Sarah. He looked back at her dropping his voice. "But Titus will still be able to help us. I planted one of my soldiers in the kitchen as a scullery boy, something low-key and unnoticed. He has a copy of a skeleton key from this place. I couldn't have it on me in case I was searched. He will drug the guards and then release us."

"How long?"

"As soon as he knows I've been taken."

She nodded, thinking about the meantime while they waited. "Jareth, you never did answer my question. What did Cassandra do to you?"

Glancing down his body, he dropped his hand to his side as Sarah stepped back to observe the rip still there in his shirt. "I don't rightly know. I felt the pain of the blade. Maybe that is all she wanted."

"But it was some kind of magic so I thought you would know."

The narrow set of his eyes seem to deepen. "It was dark magic Sarah, something I try not to practice."

"Oh," she muttered at being not quite admonished over her stupidity about magic again.

He sighed. "There I go again. You didn't know." He squeezed of arm. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"You didn't," she lied not wanting to admit that it really had, but not for the reasons he thought. There was still so much about this world and Jareth that she did not know about.

"I did and you still do not lie well Sarah. Sit down and I will explain." Leading her to the bed, they rested on the edge while Jareth explained about the different kinds of magic and exactly why he was opposed to using dark magic, the way it made him feel unnaturally hollow and empty, even beyond what he use to feel without her. Jareth's explanation went on for about half-an-hour as Sarah silently and patiently listened not wanting to interrupt until he finished.

"I'm glad you don't use it. No one should even feel that miserable." Embracing his hand, she told him, "I don't want you to ever feel that way Jareth."

"I never do when I'm around you."

She leaned against him. "I love you." He kissed the crown of her head. "And I you. Now if only Titus would get here. What is taking him so long? He should have been here by now."

Sitting up, she panicked having forgotten just how long had passed, "You don't think something has happened to him?"

"I hope not." His face tightened. It something had happened to Titus it was all his fault. He was the one who had personally requested one of his youngest soldiers into the spider's lair.

"Maybe he just can't get away from the kitchen."

"Maybe," but Jareth had a bad feeling about the entire thing.

* * *

Okay, so maybe a little overboarding on the kissing, especially when some might think that the first thing should be worrying about a way out, but they have just faced a lot and are emotionally overwrought here with too many worries on their minds including losing each other.

So has something happened to Titus? If so, how are they going to get out? And when they do, what are they going to find?

I think maybe I should have done some more planning in the beginning for this story because while the ideas for progression are there, I just feel like something is missing in comparison to my other stories. I don't know if it is because I am finding it harder and harder to write this story as I go along even though the ideas are there or it is just something else. But I will finish the story no matter what. Promise!


	22. Chapter 22

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Chapter 22

Have fun reading.

* * *

"Jareth, I don't think Titus is coming. We are going to have to find our own way out."

"No, he's not." It had been nearly an hour; huge numbers of soldiers had exited the castle in preparation of the battle they were about to rage and still no Titus. Jareth had fought furiously against his own doubts in hope that the young soldier was still alive, but as more time passed the more likely it became that he had condemned the man to death with his plan. Pacing around, he began listing off things, "There should only be one or two guards. We need to get them in here, distract them, and knock them out." He didn't say killing for Sarah's sake, hoping it wouldn't come to that, not with her there.

"Or just escape this way."

Finding the source of the voice, a young soldier stood behind them, half-hidden by a bookcase. Stepping out from beyond the bookcase, a gap that had not been there before revealed itself leading into a darken passage.

Shoving Sarah protectively behind him, Jareth stared down the familiar young man, "Who are you? Why are you here?" He did not trust lightly. This could be a trap.

The man shifted nervously, "My name is William and I only want to help."

"I know William, Jareth. It's okay." Sarah grabbed his shoulders reassuring, but Jareth was not relenting as he continued his interrogation, "Why? Why are you risking your life to help us? You will be killed if caught?"

He bashfully looked down before meeting Jareth's steely gaze, "Because you spared mine that day and Miss Sarah was the nicest anyone has ever been to me in this castle." He shyly glanced at Sarah before smiling. "She was my friend." She beamed back at him.

There was something honest and sincere about this man. Jareth could not doubt him. "You can make friends anywhere can't you?" He darted a mirthful look back at Sarah relaxing his stance.

"It never hurts."

Nodding absentmindedly, he commented, "Yes, always good to have a friend I suppose." Crossing the room, he continued to examine the young man. "I was never planning to kill you that day."

William grinned awkwardly, unconvinced. "Let's go before the guards come in."

Motioning for Sarah, Jareth stepped in the stone tunnel after William. "Do others know of this tunnel?"

"Few, but they escape Mistress Cassandra's attention."

As Sarah crossed into the darkness, Jareth took her hand. "Would they tell her?"

The man looked dead serious as the light fell across his face near the opening. Reaching to close the secret opening, he assured, "No. They might would have told Sir Ruben, but not her, not after what she did."

Though dark, she could sense Jareth tense at the mention of his dead brother. She squeezed his hand.

William's footsteps echoed on the stone floor. "I left a couple of torches up ahead. I couldn't carry them and open up the bookcase. Just move slowly, the ground is fairly level."

"Thank you William," she spoke out into the empty void, "You are indeed a true friend." She was reminded of how Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and Ludo had stuck by her in her journey through the labyrinth. Were they okay? Were they even still alive? And Toby? She tried to push the unpleasant thoughts from her mind, but they just would not be silenced.

With the floor being as William had said they moved forward in the dark at a reasonable pace. "Your majesty, there is something else I should tell you."

"What?" Sarah could hear the precaution in Jareth's tone. He was trusting the man, but that trust was limited despite Sarah's faith in him.

"They killed that man you sent in."

She didn't have to see through the darkness to know Jareth's face. He was already blaming himself. "How…how did they discover him?"

"They didn't."

"Then why…"

"A maid one of the commanding officers has been chasing took an immediate liking to him. She has been rebuking the officer's advances for so long that he became furious at seeing her trying to catch Titus's attention. He decided to eliminate the competition."

Sarah was sickened, gasping, "That is horrible."

"Yes, it was. I was standing right there, so was Roxanne, the maid. That beast even told her it was her fault, promising to do the same in the future to any she dares to show as interest in."

"That…that…," but Sarah did not have the words in her for the awful things she wanted to say.

"I know Miss Sarah. Titus was a good man. He didn't deserve to die that way. Unarmed and surrounded, without a chance to fight back. I knew him when we were younger. We had been friends so I knew that he was one of the King's soldiers; he had always wanted to join his rank as long as I could remember."

Sarah heard Jareth's sharp intake of breath. She squeezed his hand.

"I took care of his body, removing him from the castle and burying him. Besides being an old friend and wanting to give him a proper burial, I didn't know if he would have anything incriminating on him letting other know what he was and why he was here. If he did, I couldn't let them find out. They would have mutilated his body for sport. I couldn't let them do that to him, not Titus," William's voice choked off, "Roxanne didn't even dare to help, not that she could have. She has been crying ever since."

"Who was the man?" Jareth's tone made clear what he planned to do with the name.

"Captain Fredrick."

"He just keeps causing trouble for himself," Jareth said with a sneer in his voice, "I already owe that bottom-dweller a debt I will gladly pay."

They reached the torches. As William handed Jareth a torches, Jareth inquired, "William, how many among Cassandra's staff are worth saving?"

"Most," William gripped his torch tighter, "You plan to destroy this place don't you sir?"

"Yes," Jareth revealed with fierce determination. "I had not planned to allow survivors." He laid a hand on William's shoulder. "Warn them. I once knew two that were innocent. It was this place that turned them." He watched out of the corner of his eye as Sarah smiled with approval. He wondered if with Sarah by his side, would he become more like the king his father was? He hoped so.

"Thank you, your majesty." He bowed.

"Stop right there," Jareth threw up a hand, "None of that. King is just a title. Formalities are for peaceful times. Here, we are equals."

"Yes sir."

Jareth started to open his mouth to protest when Sarah butted in, "Jareth, William is naturally polite. Even in all the time of bringing me my food, I could never get him to call me Sarah. He insists on Miss Sarah, so you may as well get use to it."

Grabbing a sword from against the wall, he shoved it in Jareth's hands. "My mother insisted upon it."

Jareth appeared far away for a moment, "I can tolerate the sirs but let's just leave it at that. My mother was the same way." He laughed. "My manners were certainly better when she was still around."

Sarah listened wanting to know more, but Jareth said nothing else. Why had she never bothered to ask about his family before? Easy…she had never thought about it, never even thought about him having a life beyond her. Jareth had been wrong about her…she was still that same selfish brat who had wished her brother away, only concerned about herself and her needs.

"They say she was a good queen." William loosened a strap running diagonally across his chest. "I was too young to remember." He handed Sarah the strap which had a knife attached within its leather's sheath.

"She was." Jareth fastened his sword to his waist. It was the only time Sarah had ever seen him with a physical weapon. It was an odd sight to her.

She gripped the leather sheath in his hand withdrawing the knife.

William's smile a bit sinisterly. "I couldn't snag but one extra sword, but I know you know how to use a knife. I think that idiot Basco is still smarting from it."

Sarah replaced the knife, ducking her head under the strap slipping it on before adjusting it to her body.

Eyeing her suspiciously, Jareth asked, "What is William speaking of?"

Smiling to herself, knowing the question was coming, she looked up at Jareth. "A blotched escape attempt. I manage to get his knife when as he sat my food tray down. I stabbed him pretty good and made a run for the door. Cassandra was there and that was the end of it."

He continued to study her. "The young girl that stood up to the bullies emerged again I see." Rubbing his finger against his lower lip, "I don't know whether to be impressed or to argue that it was dangerous and stupid of you to try. I am conflicted and you know why."

"I do." He didn't have to say it and she didn't need to hear it. Her brazen courage in the most needed times had been one of the things that had initially attractive him to her, but his heart could not have bared what might had happened to her. "So where does this tunnel lead?" Sarah wanted to change the subject though she was not that knowledgeable in the landscape of the Underground. She knew certain parts within the labyrinth, but that was it.

"To the mountains to the west."

"That will give us a good vantage point and take us well beyond Cassandra's magical protections." Jareth would be able use his powers again, which was a relief to Sarah. It meant they could reach Toby and the others. "But unless my calculations are wrong, we won't reach them tonight." Sarah's heart fell. Toby, she thought.

"No we won't," William confirmed. He tossed Jareth a sack. "It's not much, but it is all I could pilfer without being caught." Jareth withdrew three blankets and some wrapped food.

"Better than nothing." Stuffing the things back in the bag, Jareth slung it over his shoulder. "Let's get a move on. I want to cover as much distance as possible."

Sarah's feet were aching as she pulled her lady slippers off, rubbing her feet. She hated the shoes of this world. In the castle, they were fine, but for walking any long distance, they were awful with no support and not enough padding on the sole. She felt every little rock she stepped on. What she wouldn't give for a pair of sneakers instead or at least the boots the men were wearing.

She suspected Jareth had wanted to keep going a while longer, but had noticed how she had started stumbling too often. She had refused to say anything desiring to go on for as long as they could, knowing what even a few minutes tomorrow could mean.

"Here," Jareth passed her a bit of food from the bag before handing William some. Reaching in, he served himself last. William had offered several times to relieve Jareth of the weight of the bag, but Jareth had declined. Sarah saw that had needed to shoulder the burden. It was the only thing he could do for now. "Thank you again, William."

"Yes sir." Sarah smiled and nodded her thanks as well.

Tired and weary, they ate in silence. Sarah could see a faraway look in Jareth's eyes and she knew exactly where his mind was. Every now and then he would look towards William. Something was on his mind, but Sarah didn't know what it could be.

Once they finished, Sarah felt tired but it was that too tired to sleep feeling. She needed to relax first, but no one seemed able to break the silence, afraid it would broach what had happened and what was going to happen.

William shyly looked around at the cave wall before reaching in his uniform coat. Pulling out the same blue book, he motioned to Sarah. "If it is not too presumptuous and you're not too tired, can you teach me some more? Please."

He turned to Jareth. "That is if you do not mind." Knotting his forehead, Jareth studied the boy before shaking his head. "Why are you asking me?"

"Well I thought…" William looked terrified.

"Jareth, I was teaching William how to read," Sarah volunteered the information, "Cassandra forbids it. She wants them illiterate, to hinder them."

"I shouldn't be surprised." He rubbed the bridge of his nose appearing to just not want to deal with anymore news that day.

"I know. It is awful."

"So will it be okay," William asked again.

Jareth just shook his head. Disappointed, William went to put his book back up. Before Sarah could protest, Jareth questioned, "Why are you asking me? I asked you that earlier."

"What do you mean sir? I asked you because you are the King. Miss Sarah is part of your kingdom. Don't I need your permission?"

Jareth shared a disbelieving look with Sarah. "Does this have something to do with Cassandra's requirements?"

"Yes…yes…sir," William was nearly trembling.

Jareth leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Look, I have obviously left that woman to her own vices for far too long when I shouldn't. I don't know what her rules are and do not really care, but if you think for one second that I could or would even attempt to control Sarah, who is not actually a citizen of my kingdom but rather a guest, then you still have a lot left to learn about her. I learned a long time ago that Sarah is her own person and has a will of her own." He shared a secret smile with Sarah remembering far too well what happened when he once tried to control Sarah's decision, wanting it to be the one he wanted. "I may control and frighten certain citizens of mine in some ways, but not in Cassandra's way. They are relatively free to do as they pleased outside of their duties. Therefore, you ask Sarah, not me." He held the man's eyes desiring to drive in comprehension to this poor young man. "This is something you need to understand if you plan to become a member of my kingdom and one of my soldiers."

William nodded. "Yes sir"

Jareth held up a finger. "That is only if you want to," Jareth amended.

"I want to." Life came into William as he shifted eagerly where he sat.

"Let's work on that book then." Using Jareth's shoulder to push herself, she admired him approvingly as he glanced up at her. She couldn't help it. She was so proud of him right now.

* * *

I had meant to continue this last bit a little more, but ending it here just seemed right. The rest will follow in the next chapter. I loved that I ended this chapter with Sarah having a reason to feel this proud of Jareth.


End file.
